Letters To Juliet
by miaowkittys
Summary: 'Did my heart love til now? For swear it, sight! For i ne'er saw true beauty til this night'  "I, Hermione Jane Granger, have a secret admirer, and a damn cute one at that."
1. Chapter 1

'ARGH! Where is it? How can something just go missing like that? It was on the table I swear...' Hermione screeched as she stomped down the stairs, heading straight towards her friends who were currently sat in the lounge of the burrow. For such a petite girl it sounded like a herd of elephants had been let lose in the Weasley household.

'God Mione, it's just a book' Ron muttered, quickly realising he'd meant to say that in his head, he threw his hand to his mouth. Ginny and Harry also noticed his mistake, preparing themselves for the hurricane which was about to occur.

'JUST A BOOK? JUST A BOOK RONALD! I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT HAPPENS TO BE MY FAVOURITE BOOK YOU COMPLETE ARSE!' she screamed, her hands scrunched into tight fists, glaring down at Ron. If looks could kill, he would definitely be six feet under, he thought to himself.

'I was just... I didn't mean it like that, but did you have to make such a bloody scene about it?' he managed to squeak out, turning a crimson red in the process, he may have been a Gryffindor, but when this girl got going, man was she scary.

'Which book is it? I put a few things away this morning when I started packing for school; I could have misplaced it by accident.' Ginny cooed, quick enough to distract Hermione from Ron's statement. It was times like these that Hermione appreciated having Ginny as her best friend. She loved Harry and Ron to pieces that much was true, but they were hardly as affectionate or caring towards her belongings like Ginny was. And plus, it's not as if she could talk about girl problems with them, they just tended to get embarrassed and change the subject as if she'd never brought it up in the first place.

'Thanks 'Gin' she said with a shy smile. She always knew how to calm Hermione's mood, something only her parents had seemed to master. 'You could help me pack while we look as well' Hermione stated. Ginny nodded in approval, jumping up to grab Hermione's hand whilst quickly dragging her out of the room.

'So who was it from? I've been dying to know all morning, it just looked so posh and beautiful, yano? And that was just the envelope! Plus that owl. Wow it looked expensive' squealed a now over excited Ginny. She looked as if she was going to burst if Hermione didn't say something good within the next few seconds.

'Gin, what are you talking about?' Hermione muttered, staring with pure bewilderment at her clearly insane friend.

'You've not seen it yet? It had been tapping on the window for ages, so I eventually gave in and let it in. the poor thing must still be waiting in your room…' at this the two girls gave each other a knowing look, before sprinting for Hermione's door. She hadn't been expecting a letter so she was equally fascinated as to who it was from.

Upon reaching the door the sound of a disorientated howl crept through it. Being the girl she was, Hermione was not prepared to let a poor owl suffer for a moment longer. Yanking the door open, their eyes instantly fell upon the beautiful owl. Hermione instantly recognised it as being a Tasmanian masked owl, its feathers were many different shades of brown, glistening in the sunlight coming through a gap in the curtains. A very dark brown surrounded its face in the shape of a heart, adding to the sheer beauty of the majestic animal.

'Merlins, it's gorgeous!' Hermione exclaimed, still staring in awe at the owl. At the sound of her voice, it cocked its head to the side slightly, letting out a small hoot. Ginny and Hermione both giggled, walking into the room and closing the door behind them. Digging around in her pocket Hermione found an owl treat, holding it out and watching as it gracefully took the treat from her hand and ate it. Definitely belongs to an upper class family she thought to herself as she untied the unique letter from its leg.

'I've never seen an envelope like this! It's simply amazing. There's so much detail, I'd rather just keep it the way it is then know what's inside' she gasped, letting out a small laugh.

'Open it Mione please, I've never been so curious in all of my life!' Ginny all but yelled at her, causing Hermione to raise an eyebrow.

'Has anyone ever told you that you'd make a great Slytherin? I'm staring to think you're in the wrong house 'Gin' this earned her a playful dig in the arm.

'Quit stalling and open the bloody thing or I'll be doing it for you and burning that damn envelope' Ginny calmly stated. A blush quickly covered Hermione's face as she gently pushed her finger under the wax seal. She was sure the imprint was of Romeo and Juliet from her the cover of her favorite book but didn't press the matter in fear that she'd face Ginny's raff.

'erm, 'Gin, do you mind if I read it privately first then I'll come show you? I just have no idea what it is you see…' she muttered, staring at the letter in her hand.

'Sure' Ginny simply said as she merrily walked out of the room humming a little to herself. 'oh, don't forget to pack, we leave in an hour' she said, smiling at Hermione as she raised her head, returning the smile as Ginny quietly closed the door behind her.

Best get this over with then, she thought to herself as she pulled the letter out of the envelope carefully, noting that the design was identical to that of the envelope. She inhaled a large breath as she started to read…

'_did my heart love til now?_

_For swear it, sight!_

_For I ne'er saw true beauty til this night'_

_I think of you when I read this scene of Romeo and Juliet Hermione... as I never thought I could love until the day that I saw you. _

_Good choice by the way, I saw you reading it one day at school in the library with a smile across your face, you looked so beautiful that every time I read the play now I get a flashback of seeing you and I instantly feel on top of the moon. _

_Shakespeare truly understands something many people don't seem to. That thing being how love has no boundaries. Family names, blood and money shouldn't matter. All that matters should be how two people feel towards one another, and ultimately whether or not they are happy. _

_Therefore I would like to apologise, for all the hurt that I have ever caused you. I also hope that one day you may feel some of the feelings I have for you, for me._

_I was going to let fate play out and see if you'd acknowledge me without me having to write to you, but as everyone is now aware, he-who-should-not-be-named is back unfortunately. Belonging to a pure blood family who also (for some idiotic reason) agree with his passions means that I could be dragged into all of this disgusting mess so I wanted to write to you as soon as possible. Also, as you may now be panicking thinking I'm going to become a death eater while in contact with you, I am going to be paying Dumbledore a visit later on today when we've arrived safely back at Hogwarts to ask for his help. I no longer wish to stay with my parents as I despise what they want to help… I have never felt any different towards muggles then I have to pure bloods, but have had to keep up an act as before I knew I could seek help I knew I would be disowned. I don't think they've realised that apart from not being able to use magic we are no different from one another, meaning that we are not inferior, but equals. Also, I want to rub it in their faces that you're the smartest witch of our age whilst still being bred from a non-magic family. You my dear are simply amazing._

_I hope you don't mind, but this is going to be the first of many letters I'm afraid. _

_All of my love for my darling Hermione, _

_your secret admirer x_

_p.s. I hope you like my owl. I bought her just for your letters, (helps keep the secrecy) plus I wanted a beautiful one to reflect you. I guess you've already figured out what breed she is, her names is Omorfos. Work out the meaning, it's quite simple but I'll give you a clue, it's Greek._

_See you in a few hours!'_

'GINNY!' was all anyone heard screamed through the house once Hermione had read the letter. Omorfos meant beauty, and he'd named it based on her…

'What! What's wrong?' Ginny stammered as she ran through the door. Hermione handed her the letter, watching her face fade from pure panic to complete happiness as she quickly read the letter.

'I, Hermione Jane Granger, have a secret admirer, and a damn cute one at that.'


	2. Chapter 2

'Mione, come on! Were gunna be late.' Harry boomed up the stairs.

Upstairs Hermione was staring at the letter in her hands. For the smartest witch of their age she didn't have the foggiest idea who it was from. For half an hour she'd sat and racked her brain, trying to figure it out, but still nothing.

People who'd seen her reading Romeo and Juliet? Seeing as that was her favourite book and she had it out more or less every week that had been no help.

Who'd been in the library recently? But quickly realising that was useless as most of the school population went there to study.

People that had hurt her in her life? _That list was pretty big… _she'd thought to herself gloomily, so moved onto her next idea.

People who belonged to a Pureblood family… that list was also huge.

People who supported Voldermort and wanted their children to follow? She had no fricking idea on that one.

People who think of Muggle's as equals to Purebloods but act like there not? _At least I can rule out Malfoy the stuck up arrogant prat…_ She'd nearly died from laughter at this thought, before realising she had already dissected the letter and still was none the wiser. Grumbling, she picked up her wand, aimed it at her trunk and muttered a quick 'Reducio' before placing it in her pocket.

'Okay okay' she shouted to Harry as she descended the stairs.

Her friends were once again scattered around the lounge, all patiently waiting for her. As she walked towards them they all stood and grinned at her.

'Ready for another year Mione?' Ron winked at her. Hermione smiled shyly and nodded.

'I'd be even more ready if I didn't have to think about what's going to go wrong this time round' she whispered, 'What rules do you think we're going to be breaking this time round Harry?' She mischievously asked wiggling her eyebrows at the dark haired boy.

'Who would have thought, Hermione Granger wasn't going to complain about rule breaking! Are you ill?' he mocked, Ginny giggled by his side.

'Being your friend means she's got to get used to it, right Mione?' Ginny playfully added, as Hermione laughed and nodded her head.

'Ginny's right Harry. Ever since I've known you, you've been corrupting my brain with all these wrong doings,' she tsk'ed and shuck her head, 'Anyway, come on or we're going to be late!' she mockingly grinned.

* * *

><p>Arriving at platform nine and three quarters, Mr and Mrs Weasley said there far-wells, begging everyone to try and be careful.<p>

'I want letters, Ron, Ginny. Don't forget,' she instructed, before embracing her two children, 'Oh and Harry, Hermione?' they both nodded to show they were listening, 'we expect to be seeing you in the next holidays darlings,' she once again instructed before giving them all hugs. 'Right, Ginny, Hermione you first. Then Ron and Harry' she began as she nudged them towards the barrier.

Within seconds Hermione and Ginny we're out of site, quickly followed by Harry and Ron.

As usual the platform for the Hogwarts Express was bursting with people, all rushing around, bidding their goodbyes to their parents before running of to find a seat with their friends on the train. Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione walked onto the train, as they'd all casted a 'Reducio' spell over their trunks and put them in their pockets before leaving, and found an empty carriage.

As soon as they were seated, Harry and Ron began an animated discussion on Quidditch, leaving Hermione and Ginny to discuss the letter.

'So, any idea who it is?' Ginny whispered to her best friend.

Hermione shuck her head, 'I dissected the whole thing Gin', yet I still have no idea who it's from. I ruled out one person though. Malfoy' the two snickered at this.

'True, I mean seriously, the idea of him pretending so that his parents don't disown him makes me want to wet myself. Really though, the disgusted looks and insults he comes out with would be impossible to fake. The boys just fucked in the head if you ask me' she simply stated.

'Oh God Gin, don't get me started on what's wrong with him. He's just twisted' Hermione exclaimed, as the train jerked into action. 'So Gin, any plans for this year?' Hermione asked.

Ginny sighed, and shrugged. 'I wanted to try out for the Quidditch team, but mum doesn't like the idea. Says it's too _rough_ for a girl. She honestly thinks I'm still five!' her friend murmured, looking down into her lap.

'Since when do you do what mum says anyway? Just do it Gin, I won't tell if you don't' Ron added.

'RON! You shouldn't be listening to our conversation…' Ginny frowned, before thinking over what he'd just said, 'You promise you won't tell her?' She enquired.

Ron simply nodded before indulging himself in another deep conversation with Harry.

'I agree with Ron, just do it. It would be sad to see you waste such a talent Gin' Hermione added. She'd seen Ginny play, she was brilliant. Even better than most of the male players who had been flying since they could walk.

'You always say the right thing Mione,' Ginny blushed, throwing her arms around her best friend. Hermione hugged her back until Ginny was ready to move away. Looking down at the time Hermione realised that she had, in fact, been chosen to be a prefect this year, and was late for the meeting.

'Oh no! I'm late, I have a prefect meeting, I'll be back soon Gin' Hermione stammered as she got up and left the carriage. Ginny turned to the two boys still deep in conversation.

'Erm, Harry, Ron… Did Hermione tell you she was made a prefect or is it just me that she neglected to tell?' questioned Ginny. Both boys exchanged confused looks before speaking in unison,

'Miones a prefect?'

* * *

><p>Rushing out of the toilet after putting her uniform on, Hermione was looking down as she mentally cursed herself. <em>How could I just forget something like that? And how on earth did I forget to tell Harry, Ron and Ginny? What an idiot. Smartest witch our age my ass.<em>

So involved in her thoughts, she didn't notice the person stood in front of her looking down at a piece of parchment in his hands. In the blink of an eye she'd walked heavily into him, knocking them both over and falling straight on top of him. In the process, Hermione had managed to hit her head of the wall, letting out a load groan as the pain throbbed through her skull. Her hands rubbed over the lump which continued to increase in size on her head as she rolled onto her back next to the person she had momentarily been lay on.

Tears prickled in her eyes as the pain continued to increase; she unconsciously let out small sobs as a pair of hands gripped her waist and gently pulled her up.

'Should watch were you're going next time Granger, even I wouldn't be able to pull of a lump that big.' Laughed a very familiar voice.

'Thanks for your concern Malfoy' she spat back, still not looking up. Letting Malfoy see her cry was like volunteering to be his bully victim for the rest of the year, not like he'd need a reason to do that anyway…

'Erm… sorry. Here' he stammered, handing her a handkerchief before walking away. Hermione stood still, utter shock present on all of her features. Had Draco Malfoy, King of Slytherin, just _apologised_ to her, the most well-known Muggle of Hogwarts? _Must have a mild case of concussion, because I'm definitely imagining things _she thought to herself.

Using the handkerchief, she patted her eyes dry and blew her nose before placing it into the inside pocket of her robe. She was definitely keeping this, it was black with green trimmings, and made of a very soft silk, _Malfoy could piss of if he thought that he was going to take it back from her _she maliciously thought.

Walking into the prefect's carriage with her hand clutched to the painful throb on her skull, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat to gain her attention.

'Professor, I'm so sorry I'm late, I hit my head and I feel very ill…' she began before she was interrupted.

'Yes Miss Granger I know this. Mr Malfoy told me, I was just about to ask if you would like to go to the carriage on the far right side as Madam Pomfrey should be in there. Then report straight back here please' instructed the Professor, Hermione nodded then gasped in pain, falling back into a vacant seat, the sudden motion throwing her of balance.

'I think it would be best if we had someone escort you, don't you Miss Granger?' she asked.

'Please Professor' Hermione weakly said.

'Luna, would you do me the pleasure of escorting Hermione please?' Luna nodded and a large smile spread across her beautiful features.

'Of course Professor', Luna spoke dreamily. Setting down The Quibbler in her seat, she got up and gracefully walked towards Hermione and held out her arm. Hermione took it to help steady herself as she stood, and walked out by the side of her Ravenclaw friend.

'Hey, Luna? How did you become a prefect, I mean your fifth year right?' Hermione questioned the blonde haired girl.

'Ahh yes Mione. Well yah see, Professor McGonagall asked me to help out. She said it would give me something to do… I don't know what gave her the idea that I had the spare time' Luna hummed.

_Or maybe to preoccupy her from the fact that everyone choses to bully her… she's so clueless _Hermione thought sadly to herself. Luna was an amazing girl, but many people found her a bit strange, this being the reason she was called 'Looney Lovegood' rather than Luna.

'If he didn't chose to act so horribly he'd be a lovely boy I think. I particularly like his hair' Luna cooed in her sweet Irish accent, unaware that Hermione had no idea what she was talking about.

'Erm, who are you talking about Luna?' Hermione replied.

'Malfoy' she simply said. 'We're here Hermione; I hope you feel better soon. See you in a few minutes' Luna reassured before turning and walking away leaving Hermione to her thoughts.

* * *

><p>After Madam Pomfrey had performed a simple spell, instantly ridding her of her banging headache, Hermione had slowly walked back to the prefect's compartment. <em>Luna was right; Malfoy did have nice hair… Oh shut up Hermione. <em>She mentally screamed at herself, _he may have nice hair but that doesn't change anything, he still thinks your bloods 'dirty'. _Loudly and quite aggressively, she thrust open the carriage door, making sure to slam it behind her and walked over to the first empty seat she saw. Most of the students had gone back to their compartments so only a few were left. She looked to her left at the sound of voices to see who she could recognise. Ernie MacMillan sat talking to Hannah Abbott and Terry Boot. Regaining her composure, she looked fully up to where Professor McGonagall had previously been sitting. Now in her place sat none other than Draco Malfoy, who she noted, was smiling in her direction.

_Greatttttt, the ferret wants to bother me even after giving me concussion. What. A. Tool._

'Would you like a picture Malfoy' she bitterly spoke after being unable to watch him smile at her like that. She had never seen him smile so genuinely before, and quite frankly it scared her. Dimples sat just above the ends of his lips, and his grey eyes glowed. _He should smile more; it suits him _she thought to herself. _And God was Luna right, his hair looked great today. _Once again she mentally cursed herself for thinking such profanities. Obviously Madam Pomfrey hadn't healed the concussion, just took away the pain.

'Yeh sure, that will keep me busy later' he winked at her. Hermione's mouth opened in disgust, 'That would also be a nice picture to look at Granger' he laughed. Even though he was being disgustingly pervish, his trademark smirk and bitter tone weren't present.

'You disgusting pig!' She snapped, before jumping up and marching of in a huff.

_He really will never change _she decided mentally as she reached Harry Ron and Ginny's carriage. _What a pity. _


	3. Chapter 3

Sitting in their regular seats in the Great Hall, Hermione peered around at the other students. The hall was bursting with people eagerly awaiting the start of yet another year. In front of the high table the new first years all stood shyly, curiosity etched into each of their faces, all desperate to know what house the Sorting Hat was going to put them in.

'I remember being up there,' she said pointing to the first years, 'I was so scared, I had no idea which house I was going to be put in' Hermione stated as she turned back to her friends.

'Same. Fred and George said they'd hex me to oblivion if I got put in Slytherin, I felt like my heart was gunna jump out of my chest!' Ron chimed in.

'Do you blame them though?' Hermione playfully added.

'Hey! I was meant to be in Slytherin. But I begged to be in Gryffindor 'cause my parents were. I think the hat must have felt sorry for me' Harry chuckled.

'Then I must be the only person that wasn't bothered which house I was put in. Even Slytherin wouldn't have bothered me, green looks good on me' Ginny joked.

'Anything looks good on you Gin' Harry shrugged. Ron let out a disgusted noise as Ginny's face turned from a pale peach to a crimson red.

'Awrh, you're so sweet Harry' she teased as she slid her arm around his waist pulling him into a friendly embrace.

'Seriously Ginny! I'm about to eat, I don't want to vomit thanks' Ron spat, earning himself a murderous look from his sister.

'Shut up and go find Lavender Ron.' Ginny growled at him.

At the sound of Professor Dumbledore clearing his voice on the high table, all students were silent as they turned to listen to their Headmaster.  
>'Welcome back students! I would like to begin by hoping you all had a good holiday. We will begin by sorting the first years into their houses then once the feast has finished ill brief you all on the new school rules. Now, I would like to ask that the prefects assist with the well being of the first years and help them to settle into their new lives at Hogwarts. Now, shall we begin the sorting?'<p>

As the sorting hat quickly went to work, sorting the students between the four houses, claps and cheers echoed around the hall as each table welcomed there new housemates.

Once the sorting was done and all students were seated, Dumbledore stood once more. With a clap of his hands food appeared on all tables, 'Let the feast begin' he proclaimed before sitting back down.

'So Harry, when does practice start? Seamus Finnegan asked, as he appeared next to Ron.

'Yeh Harry, do you know yet? Dean Thomas added, who was now sat next to Harry.

'Hey guys. I'm not sure yet, I'll ask Madam Hooch when I next see her' Harry assured the two boys.

'Thanks' they both beamed as they began to shovel food into their mouths. Ron, who was already putting his second helpings on his plate, pointed his food covered fork in Ginny's direction.

'Don't forget to sign up Gin' he simply stated before returning his full attention to his food.

'Such a pig' Hermione muttered as she gracefully ate the small helping she'd placed on her plate.

'Try growing up with six boys, all exactly like that' Ginny said with disgust as she nodded in Ron's direction. Hermione giggled, being the only girl must have been hard work for Ginny, but secretly a small amount of jealousy sat in the pit of Hermione's stomach. She would have loved to have grown up with six brothers who all looked out for her and made sure she was happy. Yeh they were disgusting at times, but they'd taught her things Hermione would never be able to do and smothered her in more love then she had ever seen before. Sighing, Hermione placed the last forkful of food in her mouth and swallowed it, just as Dumbledore stood once more.

'Now, I would like to issue some warnings. As we all are fully aware, he-who-shall-not-be-named has returned, meaning we will be taking extra precautions to ensure your safety. The first change to rules will be Hogsmeade. When visiting we will be accompanied by Auror's. You and your friends will be arranged into groups of your choice, each with an Auror to ensure safety. There will also be Auror's hidden throughout the village for extra precaution. Secondly, the main doors will close an hour and half before the first year's curfew. Therefore no one should be outside after this time. The Forbidden Forest as you already know is of limits. We also recommend when outside, to stay in twos. Even though we are taking these extra precautions, we do not want anyone to worry. We do not necessarily need these to be in place, we just want to be ready in case of any emergencies' with a click of his fingers the feast disappeared from the table, much to Ron's disappointment, 'Enjoy the rest of your night, and I expect to see you all back here at seven thirty tomorrow. Good night' with that, Dumbledore elegantly walked away from the Great Hall leaving the students to think over what he'd just said.

* * *

><p>'Professor Dumbledore, may I have a word with you please?' Draco panted as he ran after the headmaster.<p>

'Ah, Master Malfoy. If you'd like to accompany me to my office and we can have this discussion there?' He asked, with a small grin on his face.

'Please Sir' he agreed as he walked side by side with the Professor. _How people can dislike this man is beyond me… _Draco thought to himself as he looked at the somewhat happy teacher.

Upon reaching the gargoyle on the seventh floor, Dumbledore chuckled as he spoke the password, 'Ice Mice'. Draco watched in fascination as the gargoyle leaped aside, revealing a wall which split in two, uncovering a spiral stone staircase. As he and the headmaster stepped onto the stairs they began to slowly ascend towards a highly polished oak door with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin. Behind them the gargoyle returned to its place, closing of the opening. As the door at the top swung open a large and beautiful circular room was revealed. The windows appeared to offer a view of some of the mountains surrounding the castle and the Quidditch pitch. The walls of the office were covered with portraits of what Draco presumed were previous Headmasters and Headmistresses. The wall immediately behind the Headmaster's desk had a shelf holding the Sorting Hat which had already been replaced since the feast. Gryffindor's sword was sitting in a glass case beside the Sorting Hat. On the other side of the office a large fireplace was set in the wall, presumably for Floo, the other holding hundreds of shelves stacked high with books.

Facing the door, there sat an enormous, claw-footed desk. The surface looked as if it was highly polished, on it there was a silver ink pot with a handsome scarlet quill (possibly a phoenix feather) and a large amount of papers. A highly backed decorative chair sat behind the desk, while a more simple designed chair sat in front of it. Several spindly-legged tables supporting various silver instruments that seemed to whir and emit little puffs of smoke sat around the office. By the door a beautiful Phoenix, which Draco remembered to be called Fawkes, was perched on a golden stand.

'Take a seat Draco, now I think I may know what you've come here to talk to me about' Dumbledore emphasised, before continuing, 'I have been made fully aware that you now wear the Dark Mark. Before you tell me what it is you need, I must stress that I will help you in any way I can if you will just let me. There are many ways in which I can assist, such as putting your family into hiding and protecting you from he-who-shall-not-be-named until it is safe for you to continue with your life. You may not think it, but I know that you are a good person Draco. You are not a murderer, nor are you dark' Dumbledore insisted. As he opened his mouth to speak again Draco quickly spoke.

'That's why I came to you Professor. I do not want this disgusting thing,' he spat as he pulled up his sleeve showing it to the Headmaster, tears shone in his eyes as he digested Dumbledore's words, 'I want to be on the light side. I want this whole thing to end. I want my family to realise that _thing _there supporting is not only a monster, but a hypercritical monster at that. I want them to go away from all of this, to be safe and not want to cause trouble anymore. You're right. I'm no murderer, and I'm not as evil as I make out to be. I do it all to try and please my Father, but even then I never seem to do a good enough job. I'd rather let Voldermort kill me then have to listen to all of this rubbish for a moment longer' he confessed as his tears began to now spill down his cheeks. 'Do you realise how horrible my holiday was? To feel threatened in my own home, to know that downstairs he was killing and torturing innocent people for not being pureblood! Death echoed through my whole house headmaster. I felt sick and scared just being there. He forced me to have this on my arm, said that if I didn't he'd torture and kill my family before my eyes before doing the same to me. His disgusting un-human hand touching my arm made me want to vomit as he branded me one of his lowlife followers. He's given me my first task Sir, and I refuse to do it. He can kill my family and me for all I care, but I refuse to be part of that' He finished, wiping the now pouring tears from his face with his sleeve. The Headmaster sat with a look of pure shock on his face, clearly not expecting a Malfoy to open up to him like that.

'And what is this task Draco?' he asked soothingly as he handed him a handkerchief.

'He wants me to fix a vanishing cabinet in the room of requirement so that the death eaters can get in sir, then once there in he wants me to…' Draco began, running his hands roughly through his hair, letting out a weak sob, 'kill you.'

'Ahh. Well I can see how that would help in his rain to get domination of the wizarding world!' Dumbledore chuckled. Draco looked up, a look of bewilderment evident on his features. _How can he laugh at something like this? _He thought to himself.

'With me helping Harry, it's a lot harder for him to do that you see. If you would like, I can talk to the Ministry and offer you and your family a safe place to go to?' Dumbledore calmly asked.

The corners of Draco's mouth lifted in a weak smile as he nodded his head. 'I would like for you to do that for my family Sir, but I would rather stay in Hogwarts. I'll go to my lessons then straight back to my room, and even stay behind rather than go to Hogsmeade. I just don't want to leave Hogwarts…'

'I'll try my hardest Draco, but a lot of changes will have to be made I assure you that. Thank you for trusting me, and now you know the password, anytime you want your welcome to come up here to speak to me or get away from it all. Now go and unpack, lessons start tomorrow!' Dumbledore chirped. With another shy smile Draco left the room.

* * *

><p><strong>PLEASE REVIEWWWWWWWW!<strong>

**It would mean a lot to me... Plus I want to know peoples opinions so I can decide whether or not to carry on or leave it. **

**I'll love you forever :p **


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione had watched as Professor Dumbledore exited the Great Hall, slowly followed by a very distressed looking Draco Malfoy. _He's such a git _she thought to herself. _Nothing better to do so he chooses to go and bother the poor Head Master. _

'Tool' she muttered to herself. Not realising she had been speaking out loud, she noticed the strange looks she received from her fellow Gryffindor's at her random and pointless outburst. 'Sorry, thinking aloud' she managed to squeak out after a minute of being shot curious looks.

'When aren't you thinking, don't you know how to take a break' Ron slyly replied.

'Hey, Ron?' she asked. He looked up and nodded towards her, 'go fuck yourself' she simply said as she stood and went to walk away, before being stopped by a hand on her wrist.

'So erm… when were you planning on telling us you were made a prefect?' Harry enquired.

'Oh my God I totally forgot. Well that's why I didn't tell anyone, I was going to tell everyone when I got back to you's after the meeting had finished but I was a little distracted… I'm so sorry guys; I've just been so stressed about starting N.E.W.T classes, high expectations and all, so I put it to the back of my mind' Hermione instantly blurted out, hoping that excuse was plausible enough. She had been distracted, but more about a certain letter then N.E.W.T classes.

'Oh, didn't think about that one Mione. Guess I'll let you of then' Harry replied with a friendly wink. Hermione smiled.

'I'm going for a walk to try and clear my mind before lessons tomorrow, see you all back in the common room?' a chorus of nods indicated there approval, so she steadily made her way towards the Main Doors.

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><p>As she neared them, a distressed looking Hagrid appeared before her.<p>

'Ahh, Mione, I could do with some help if yah' don't mind?' Hagrid beamed, it was great to see her old friend after nine weeks of being away from the castle, but he definitely looked worse for wear.

'Anything the matter Hagrid?' she questioned as she bent her head back to look at his now slightly scrunched up face. His usual gleaming smile had, quite literally, been turned upside down.

'Well Mione. I've got a new erm… pet yah could say' he let out a low chuckle, 'and I know nothing about him. All I know is that 'e doesn't seem to like me very much. Never thought I'd see the day!' he grinned. _There's the Hagrid I know and love! _Hermione smiled softly. This creature, whatever it was, was obviously proving hard work, and from what she'd seen Hagrid could deal with anything. A small voice in her head was inwardly screaming at her, '_If Hagrid can't handle it, you have no chance! Make up an excuse and leave.' Now what sort of Gryffindor would I be if I backed away from this? _She mentally argued back at herself with a slight grin.

'Well what is it that you've _acquired _this time round Hagrid?' she mocked as they headed in the direction of his hut. Another chuckle erupted from deep within his chest.

'I got me hands on me very own Griffin I 'ave!' He grinned menacingly. Hermione looked at him in confusion, if he could handle dragons, then how on earth could he not look after a single Griffin?

'And the problem is…' she began, looking up at him with a questioning glint to her eye. He let out a nervous cough as he rubbed his hands together.

'Well I already said dint I? E don't like me, not one bit! Won't let me get nowhere near him and won't eat nothing! And he's frightened Fang half to death, can't get the bloody coward outside now' Hagrid looked appalled, yet saddened at the idea of being unliked. Having people dislike him was fine in his books as he always knew he had his 'pets', as he liked to call them, to cheer him up. So Hermione knew that this was hurting him on a very personal emotional level.

'Griffins are very odd creatures Hagrid. You have to earn their trust and friendship, they don't just suddenly take a liking to people' she explained letting out a light hearted laugh. 'He's probably distressed, where have you put him?' she questioned. As the hut was now in clear view she could see to the side where she saw a large creature thrashing around quite violently.

Each step brought them closer to the hut, giving Hermione a better look at the clearly very angry creature. He was a large specimen, and Hermione was completely taken aback by the sheer beauty of it. Its eagle-like head had pointed upstanding lion ears coated in a mixture of fur and feathers. Its large, curved yellowish beak appeared to be opening and closing as the Griffin let out loud screeches. It's head, neck and chest was covered in white and gold feathers while the rest of the griffin's body was covered in leonine fur, subtly coloured in shades of tawny brown. The wings were white and its neck contained a wide variety of colours. White, gold, brown and blue feathers all blended magnificently together. Its forelegs were that of an eagle, with exceptionally big talons which seemed to be working their way into the ground in a very aggressive manner. Its hind legs and tail were that of a lion. Its hind legs were also burying their way deep into the dirt as his tail swished viciously from side to side.

Hermione didn't realise how close she had gotten until she noticed the Griffin abruptly stopped its menacing show of distress. Slowly, it turned its face towards her and stared intently with its large golden eyes, in them she could not only see, but feel, the pain that it was suffering from.

'Mione! Step back, e's not safe!' Hagrid all but bellowed at her, pulling the Griffin from its trance like state. The screech that escaped from its beak was loud enough to knock Hermione to the floor.

In front of her now stood an extremely large Griffin, seemingly trying to stare down a petrified Hagrid in silence. Opening its mouth it let out a large bellow in Hagrid's direction before gracefully turning to Hermione and sitting down beside her. A gentle coo escaped its beak as it gently nudged its head against hers. Both shock and happiness overwhelmed Hermione's body as she realised that it was not acting aggressive towards her, but instead affectionate.

'Bloody hell 'Mione. What happened to Griffin's _not just taking a liking to people_?' he chuckled softly, scared that he'd startle the animal again.

'I don't understand this… all the books I've read said that it can take years to earn a Griffin's respect and loyalty…' she babbled, unable to make sense of what was actually happening. Maybe it had just killed her and she was dreaming? _Don't be stupid Hermione, use that overly sized brain of yours _she thought to herself. 'I guess I got something wrong?' she stated, still overwhelmed with shock. Slowly she stood and stroked the elegant creature before her. After hearing another coo, she turned towards Hagrid.

'Erm, I think it would be best if I went back to the common rooms now… I'll come back tomorrow and help you out if you'd like?' she murmured. Hagrid let out yet another low chuckle, seemingly he appeared to have cheered up, and nodded his head. Hermione smiled as she turned to begin the short walk back up to the castle, only to be stopped by the screech the griffin let out. She instantly turned around to see that the Griffin's head was cocked slightly to the side and its eyes were glazed at the thought of her leaving it. Crimson red slowly snuck up her face as she once more turned back to Hagrid.

'Hagrid what's his name?' she quizzed as she was yet to know.

'Amato' Hagrid answered.

'That's Italian for beloved, how sweet' she calmly said. By the look that covered Hagrid's face she could tell that he himself had just thought it to be a random name someone had picked out, not a well thought, caring gesture towards the beast.

'It suits him very well,' she said affectionately towards him as she patted his head. Once again it gently nudged its head into hers, encouraging the attention it was receiving, 'Hagrid, bring some meat out? I'll see if he'll take it from me' she smiled towards her friend as he disappeared into his hut.

'You're absolutely beautiful Amato,' she whispered in his ear, 'I think I may have to cut out some of my library time to come and visit you, you should be honoured' she purred softly again as she let out a small giggle. The Griffin's ears perked up at the sound of her soft voice and it gently cooed into her shoulder as if it knew how much Hermione's small gesture had meant. Even though it was lying down it could still perch its head on her shoulder. Normally Hermione was the type to become weary and scared in the presence of large unknown creatures but instead she felt safe and content.

Reappearing in the spot he had previously been residing in, Hagrid placed a piece of meat in Hermione's out stretched hand, she had heard him coming but didn't want to move out of this comfortable spot, and watched to see if Hermione would be able to feed it. Placing her hand lightly under the griffins chin she lifted it towards the food she held in her other hand. Removing her hand from his chin, she allowed it a minute to assess whether or not it was going to accept the offering. After a minute of consideration it delicately ate the meat from her hand.

'Slid me the bucket over Hagrid, I'll occupy him with it while I head back, curfews in ten minutes… I'll be sure to come back tomorrow in my free lesson' she offered with a beautiful smile.

'Course Mione! Always welcome you know that!' He laughed as he slid the bucket over. Placing a gentle kiss on the tip of Amato's beak, she placed the large bucket far from her and waited for him to begin eating. As soon as he began Hermione ran straight back up to the castle. She knew if she heard his cries again she wouldn't be able to leave his side…

* * *

><p>'Mione! Where were you? I've been so bored. I thought you'd be in the library but when I checked you weren't there!' Ginny practically shrieked at her as she entered their shared bedroom.<p>

'Oh hi Hermione, hi Ginny. How was your walk? It was nice thankyou, I made a new friend. Oh do tell Hermione!' Hermione sarcastically mimicked as she closed the door behind her. 'I was out talking to Hagrid, what's up?'

'I've been curious about your letter that's what! You were so occupied at dinner I wondered if you knew who it was…?' Ginny began, Hermione shuck her head. 'Still no idea at all? Damn there good.' Ginny scowled. She liked challenges just as much as Hermione but she knew not knowing who it was from was bothering her more. Ginny loved gossip as much as Lavender Brown and that was definitely saying something. 'Hey, wait did you just say you made a new friend?' Ginny grinned.

'Like I said, I was out talking to Hagrid. He looked stressed and asked me for help so of course I accepted… He came across another _pet _that he wanted to keep, but this one does not like him at all, even tried to eat Fang I think he said,' both girls laughed at this, Fang may be big, but he was the most cowardly dog they'd ever heard of, 'anyway, he didn't really explain how he got it, but he's got himself a Griffin. When I saw it he was thrashing around and throwing itself into the floor, it was horrible Gin! I was so busy thinking I didn't realise how close I was, but there I was right in front of the thing. Hagrid shouted for me to move and it went mad, wouldn't let him near me. Then it sat next to be and started to rub its head against me… as if it liked me. It was so strange, I tried to go but it started to cry so I had to trick it and run back to the castle to stop it from noticing.' By the time Hermione had finished her overly large explanation on what had happened Ginny stood in complete shock.

'Come on Gin, it's not that much of a shocking story is it?' Hermione questioned.

Ginny gulped slightly, before pointing her finger towards the window, 'I think I'm more shocked at the fact it figured out you tricked it and is now sat outside of my bedroom window'.

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><p><strong>REVIEWS PLEASEEEE!<strong>

**I'm not going to upload for a week after this chapter, then I'm going to decide whether or not to continue with it, don't want to be wasting my time on something if people won't give me there opinions :-(  
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	5. Chapter 5

_**I was suffering from theeeee worst case of writers block on this chapter, so review and tell me what you think?**_

**_Anyway, here it is._**

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><p>'That's not funny 'Gin' Hermione dimly answered as she pulled a book out of her bag, perched on the edge of her bed and began to read.<p>

'Hermione… really I'm not joking' she tried to beg as she watched her friend ignore her, slowly she felt her temper begin to rise, 'HERMIONE!' Ginny screamed.

'What?' Hermione exclaimed as she turned herself towards the direction both Ginny and the window were in. there, outside of the window, sat Amato.

'Oh, erm… How the bloody hell did it find out where I stay?' bellowed Hermione as she placed her book on the bedside table.

'How would I know? But I'm tired so I'm getting ready for bed Mione. First day tomorrow so I think you should be doing the same' Ginny emphasised.

Obviously the Griffin was becoming impatient as tapping could now be heard throughout the room.

'I'm opening the window to see if it'll shut up, if I die though Mione, your explaining what happened to mum for me' she joked as she turned towards the window and slowly began to open it. Once again the Griffins patience began to slip as it was clearly finding Ginny's method of opening the window to time consuming. Using all of the power in its head, it pushed forwards, knocking Ginny to the floor in the process of getting into the room.

'WHAT THE HELL!' Ginny screeched as she quickly stood up, turning to glare at Hermione.

'I'm so sorry Ginny, I… I didn't think he'd do that…' Hermione muttered.

'Amato, out' she firmly demanded. The Griffin stared back at her challengingly. Being the stubborn girl she was, Hermione pushed at him hoping he'd get the point and leave. She used all of her strength to lean against the creature but to no avail as he remained in the same place. Letting out a loud huff Hermione eyed it angrily.

Ginny brushed down her clothes before walking towards the door. Turning around she eyed the Griffin before turning back to Hermione. 'we should go and get ready, maybe by the time we're done it will have got the point and left' Ginny stated, opening the door and making her way to the girls bathroom with Hermione in tow.

'I don't understand how it knows where my room is, I think it might have left by now though' Hermione whispered to her friend. Ginny nodded.

'I hope so' she tried to say with a mouth full of toothpaste, resulting in spitting it all over Hermione. 'I'm so sorry!' she apologised, but once again spat on her friend.

'Right, that's it!' Hermione playfully threatened, scooping up a handful of water and throwing it at her friend.

'You've started something now Mione, sure you can handle it?' Ginny teased, having now spat out her toothpaste.

For the next twenty minutes the two girls engaged themselves in a water fight, grabbing any liquids lying around the room and squirting it at each other creating a mass of bubbles and a flooded floor.

'WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THAT BODYWASH COST ALL OF MY MONTHLY ALLOWANCE!' came the loud screeching of Lavender Brown. Ginny and Hermione quickly exchanged glances before grabbing the shower head and spraying the infuriated girl stood in the doorway.

'Lighten up Lav, its just a bit of fun. I'll even replace the body wash if it means so bloody much to you' Hermione assured.

'I. Am. Going. To. Murder. You. BOTH!' Lavender bellowed, running towards the girls with her hands stretched out in front of her.

'Oh shut the fuck up!' Ginny exclaimed in Lavenders direction before turning to Hermione, 'I think she's actually gunna kill us Mione?'.

'INCARCEROUS!' Hermione shouted, as she pointed her wand at the delusional girl who was now right in front of them. Instantly, ropes twisted around her body, forcing her to stop and drop to the floor.

'HERMIONE! Untie me right now I swear to Merlin!' Lavender screamed angrily from her position on the floor.

'Looks like someone needs a timeout!' Hermione stated, sending Ginny into a laughing fit.

'I think we'll leave you here too think about your actions young lady' Hermione grinned as she grabbed Ginny's wrist and dragged her out.

oooooooo

As soon as they were back in the safety of there dorm, Hermione and Ginny dropped to there beds in hysterics.

'Oh my God Mione, I didn't think you had something like that in you! That was definitely the best way to start a term' Ginny chuckled as a fresh wave of laughter erupted from her.

'She just needs to loosen up a bit, it was body wash for Merlin's sake' Hermione giggled.

As her laughter began to stop, Hermione got up and pulled a hoody from the trunk placed in front of her bed. Slipping it over her head, she walked back over to her bed and got underneath the covers. It was a cold September night, especially with the window open. Remembering the reason for the window being open she looked around to see the Griffin lay by the side of her bed. Sighing to herself she snuggled up closer to the warmth the bed was offering, turning her head to look in Ginny's direction. She had stopped laughing and followed Hermione's actions as she was also under her covers with a thick hoody on.

'Looks like we've got a bunker for the night' Hermione mumbled to Ginny.

'Still here huh?' she asked, Hermione nodded. 'Hey Mione?'

'Yeh?' the brunette asked.

'Ever have one of those nights when your that tired its too tiring to fall asleep?' Ginny puzzled, the drowsy look in her eyes showed just how tired she really was.

'I guess' she answered, 'today's one of those days' Hermione added.

Turning away from each other the girls both lay on there back. Hermione turned of the lights, allowing the moon to be there source of lighting. Thoughts swirled around both of there heads, each different to the others.

Ginny sat pondering how long it would take Harry to ask her to be his girlfriend. She had liked him for God knows how long but he seemed oblivious to this fact. Voldermort was obviously more important to him. She scowled at herself for even thinking that, obviously Voldermort occupied his thoughts, he had to defeat him to save the wizarding world…

Hermione was still trying to figure out who her secret admirer was. Never before had she felt so wanted. Harry, Ron and Ginny obviously made her feel wanted as a friend, but she'd never been pursued before. Well that was a lie, Cormac McLaggen had sent her cheesy notes while she tried to revise in the library. But he was just a prat who wanted to get into everyone's knickers, especially the only girl of the golden trio. He'd been considered a hero if he'd managed that. They consisted of things such as '_Do you have a map? Cause I keep getting lost in your eyes', 'Is your father a thief? Cause someone stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes' _and they were just the ones she could remember. They had made her want to vomit. To try and show him that she wasn't interested, she charmed them to fly over to him and set on fire. Unfortunately he didn't get the point until she used her very own hex on him. Lets just say he wouldn't be getting in anyone else's knickers for a long time…

Letting out a loud sigh she turned towards Amato who was staring at her with wide eyes. Closing her eyes she yawned weakly as she was once again drowned in her thoughts. _I need to find out who he is…_ she decided.

At the sound of a soft melodic singing Hermione opened her eyes, Amato had rested his head next to hers and was singing in a way which sounded like it belonged to an angel. As she felt her cheeks rise in a smile she drifted into the depths of unconsciousness. Crookshanks nestled further into the back of her legs as he fell into a deep slumber, followed by a happy Ginny.

oooooooo

Opening her eyes she realised it was morning. Hermione stretched her arms above her head as a smile crept onto her features. She felt well rested, which she'd been failing to do lately. Pushing back the covers and sitting on the edge of her bed she felt Crookshank's rub his head into her back. _Awfully happy for a cat which normally despises mornings_ she thought to herself. Ginny snored lightly, catching Hermione's attention.

'Gin, time to get up' She softly said to her friend as she made her way over to her bed and nudged her shoulder gently. When she showed no signs of waking up, Hermione decided to take revenge for all of the times Ginny had attacked her in her sleep.

'WAKE UP GIN GIN!' She screeched as she threw herself onto the sleeping girl.

When she felt the vibration of laughing on her back she turned to face Ginny.

'How do you find that funny? It annoys me when people do that' Hermione puzzled.

'It normally would bother me, but I'm in a really good mood and I've just had the best nights sleep since… well I don't ever remember having as good a sleep as that!' Ginny replied. She was grinning from ear to ear. 'I think it was the Griffin, it sang! It was so beautiful, the next time it breaks into my room I promise I wont complain as long as it sings to me again' Ginny giggled. Hermione laughed before grabbing her things for the first day of school.

'I agree, I'm gunna go shower, ill meet you at breakfast?' when Ginny nodded she made her way to the bathroom, only to see a sleeping Lavender pressed against the floor. Letting out a low giggle to herself she levitated her out onto one of the common room chairs and untied her. When she didn't stir Hermione went back into the bathroom and began her morning ritual.

oooooooo

With a smile plastered across her face, Hermione gracefully made her way towards the Great Hall, only to be stopped by a slightly sweaty and out of breath Hagrid.

'Mione, e's gone! Is chains broken an I cant find him anywhere!' Hagrid wailed. Hermione smiled and shook her head before explaining what happened the night before. When she was finished Hagrid's chuckle was echoing through the hall.

'seems e's chosen yah! E'll look after yah now Mione, don't you worry 'bowt that!' he teased, 'I'm guessing e's made himself a nest somewhere close to your window…' Hagrid began as his mutter trailed of into ramblings she couldn't quite understand. 'Oh and Mione, the singings very special ya'know. Its very rare that they do it, coming from his heart though. Singing means there in love.' Hagrid stated, walking away with a smile as he continued to mutter to himself.

oooooooo

After she'd filled Ginny in with what Hagrid had said, she merrily pilled her plate with all sorts of food, earning her puzzling looks from her friends.

'I think Hermione's caught Ron's appetite' Harry joked

'Hey!' Ron moaned through a mouthful of food, causing there table to all start laughing. Through there laughter, nobody noticed a pair of grey eyes looking in there direction. A glint of happiness shone in them as he watched Hermione.

oooooooo

'Hello? Anyone in there?' Blaise Zabini said to Draco. He had noticed that he was staring at Granger, _again_, 'MALFOY!' he shouted, snapping his friend out of his thoughts.

'What' Draco asked in a bitter tone, turning to give his best friend his signature glare.

'You've not ate yet, and I don't think you want everyone to notice that your attention is pointed towards Granger. That would ruin the whole secrecy thing don't yah think?' His friend whispered in his ear. Secretly Draco was thankful he had been reminded of this, but annoyance was overwhelming his happiness. He regretted the fact that Blaise knew about his secret infatuation. He had noticed him staring at Granger towards the end of last year, so decided to corner him and find out what he needed to know. When he'd threatened to tell the other Slytherin's he had reluctantly told him. They'd been best friends since they were little so he had no worries that he would tell anyone, it was the fact that he _always _pointed it out as if he should be ashamed.

'Right yeh, erm what lesson do we have first?' Draco asked as he turned his attention to his food. When Blaise started to drone on about some topic they should be taught this year in God knows what lesson he decided that was the perfect opportunity to indulge in his Hermione filled thoughts.

oooooooo

'So what lesson do you all have first?' Ginny asked her friends when the laughter had died down. Owls flew around there heads delivering the morning post to everyone.

'Ancient Runes' Hermione answered as three letters were dropped in front of her. One was from her mother, _probably telling me how they've made plans this Christmas and I should stay at school as usual _she thought cruelly, the second was a note from Professor McGonagall informing her that she would be doing rounds tonight with her 'Rounds Partner'. _I wonder who I'm paired with… _The third was another fancy envelope and she knew who it was from before she'd even opened it, on the front in a fancy black font was an 'x'. Looking up she noticed that her friends were all engulfed in there own letters, so she quickly tore it open. When she found it was a blank page she stared at it in bewilderment. Why would they send her a blank letter? Surely that was stupid she began to think before Ginny interrupted her thoughts,

'Its invisible ink, when you say Aparecium it will reveal it so that only you can see it' mumbling a weak 'thank you' she tapped the letter with her wand as she whispered 'Aparecium'. slowly, letters began to form on the page. Small neat black letters swam around the page until they found there place. Quickly she set to reading it.

_'Morning Hermy, you look like you're in a good mood today! I heard about what happened with Lavender, its almost tops the whole shrinking Cormac McLaggen's private parts, almost.' _At this she let out a girlish giggle before she continued_, 'The whole schools talking about it, even the teachers! I don't blame you and Ginny though, I used to have water fights with my house elf's when I was little, when my parents shouted at me for causing a mess I never thought about tying them up and leaving them on the bathroom floor, but I guess I'm not as quick thinking as you! You look beautiful this morning, I love how every time you smile your eyes shine in response.' _Hermione shook her head, she was far from beautiful_, 'Your shaking your head, I just know you are! The lady doth protest too much, methinks._

_I wanted to tell you that I spoke to Dumbledore, he's offering to help me. I just want you to know… When you find out who I am you may not like it, but I am not the person you think I am and I just want you to be willing to accept me for me._

_Love hath made thee a tame snake. _

_Have a good day my love, x'_

'Why'd you look so happy Mione?' Ron questioned as she finished reading the letter. Her smile, if possible, had grown.

'Oh, so I cant be happy Ron? Ill just remember to be miserable for you next time' Hermione said with a smile as she got up and skipped out of the Great Hall.

oooooooo

'What did you do?' Blaise whispered in Draco's ear, gesturing in the direction of the skipping Gryffindor.

'Wrote her a little morning note before you came down here. She likes Shakespeare, so I added a bit of that' He answered. Blaise stared at his love struck friend.

'wow, finally found someone who shares your love for the muggle poet and play writer guy aye?' Blaise mocked.

'Yes actually. You should read them sometime, put that big head of yours to use!' Draco said, hitting his friend across the back of the head as he stood and made his way from the Hall.

oooooooo

'What did I do?' Ron murmured to Harry who shrugged his shoulders.

'No idea. Come on, lessons start in five minutes' Harry groaned as he pulled his bag over his shoulder, followed quickly by Ron. Waving bye to Ginny they headed towards Ancient Runes. Another gruelling year with the Slytherin's was pure torture in Harry and Ron's eyes.

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><p><strong><em>Review, Review, R<em>****_eview, Review, Review! I love reviews, plus I wouldn't mind peoples ideas on what I could include?_**

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	6. Chapter 6

_**A huge thankyou too 'A Rogue Without Her Remy', my amazing editor :p**_

_**Long note at the end, I have to thank all my reviewers hehe...**_

_**Lots of Dramione interaction in this chapter, enjoy :-)**_

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><p>"Madame Pince letting you live in the library Granger? S'with the smile?" Draco chuckled to Hermione as he approached her. '<em>Come what sorrow can, it cannot countervail the exchange of joy, that one short minute gives me in her sight' damn right<em> he happily thought to himself.

"How cute of you for noticing that I'm happy, Malfoy. Unfortunately for you, nothing you say or do could ruin my mood," she chirped as she waited outside of the Ancient Runes classroom.

Draco stood leaning against the wall admiring the elegant girl in front of him. She had her hair tied loosely in a messy bun, allowing wisps of hair to fall down and frame her face. Her chocolate brown eyes shone in the light, her mood had reached her eyes as they practically glowed, matching her beaming smile. Her baby pink coloured lips were stretched from ear to ear, every now and again showing her neat white teeth. As usual, she had her uniform done up perfectly; tie to her throat, shirt tucked in, skirt reaching her knees and her socks going to the top of her shins. If this was any other girl, Draco would insult them for being a prissy snob, but this was his Granger and in his eyes, she'd look perfect wearing a plastic bag.

His grey eyes reflected her mood, a hint of happiness peered out as a grin spread across his features revealing his small cheek dimples. Little did Hermione know, this was the second time she'd seen what no one else had ever had the delight of witnessing.

"Calm down, tiger, I can practically hear the cogs turning! You're thinking so much that steam will be coming out of your ears next," Hermione joked, not even Malfoy could foul her lovely mood.

When Draco laughed, not a bitter sneer, but a genuine humour-filled laugh Hermione felt her smile increase in size. _I made Draco Malfoy laugh. I'M ON BLOODY FIRE! My face is starting to hurt a little though_… she pondered internally.

"I'll keep that in mind, Granger," he teased. "You're awfully happy for Ancient Runes on a Monday morning, no less. Care to share whatever it is you're taking?" he asked, winking at her playfully.

"I guess it's just because I'm epic, or my inner geek's showing," she mocked. "Wait… you're Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince. Why are you laughing and joking with Gryffindor's Mudblood Princess?" she asked just as the corridors began to fill and the classroom door swung open.

"I guess I'm finally growing up," he stated with a shrug of his shoulders as he entered the room.

oooooo

Hermione, now accompanied by Harry and Ron, cheerily walked in and took her usual seat a few feet away from Harry.

"Everything okay, Mione?" Harry asked after noticing her continual staring off into space with a rather large grin across her face. Hermione snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of his voice.

"I'm great Harry, just thinking is all," she answered softly, quickly taking notes from what had been written on the board before she felt something soft bounce off of her back. She turned and looked around the legs of the table and chair; scrunched up under her table was a small piece of paper. As she bent to pick it up she thanked Merlin that she sat on her own away from everyone else. Un-scrunching it she let out a small, quiet giggle.

"I think Hermione's been sniffing about in the Potion's room again," Harry muttered to a barely conscious Ron as he watched the brunette giggle to herself.

The words

'_H.G,_

_Chug, chug, chug. I can hear those cogs turning again! You think too much, honey. _

_And you're not paying attention to the lesson! Never thought I'd see the day. Tut-tut. I'm disappointed in you Miss Granger; ten points from Gryffindor!_

_I have no idea what that teacher is talking about and you're the only one around here with a brain, so entertain me. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee!_

_D.M',_

Were scribbled messily across the worn piece of paper. Taking out a spare piece of parchment she ripped the corner of and quickly scrawled a reply, before charming it to appear on the desk in front of him. Draco immediately set to reading the neat note.

'_D.M,_

_Fraternising with the enemy? Naughty. 100 points from Slytherin, you cunning boy. _

_I also have no idea what she's talking about, all I know is that the bitch is boring. Oh. Merlin. I think I'm ill, I find a lesson boring? Avada me now. _

_I'm not the only one who thinks it is, though. Everyone but you and Harry are asleep, and he's only awake so he can draw on Ron's face in permanent ink…_

_I might join them, though. I have frigging Prefect duties tonight, boohoo. _

_By the way, we're both talking civilly, so we are definitely both suffering from severe brain damage. _

_H.M!_

_(Oh, and instead of throwing it at me, say 'lumitaw bago Hermione Granger,' then tap the paper with your wand).'_

_Clever _he decided silently as he began to pen a reply. Tapping the completed note with his wand, he was amazed to see it reappear on her desk.

'_Smart Arse,_

_If I wasn't so Merlin-damned gorgeous then it would be considered naughty, but since I am, I guess it's allowed!_

_You're definitely ill, immediate treatment from Madame Pomfrey is needed._

_Ask Potter to draw a dick on his face, it would make my year!_

_Do NOT go to sleep and leave me bored. I won't hesitate to tie you up and leave you in the bathroom. _

_I have Prefect duties tonight, if I'm stuck with Loony, you won't be the only one Avada'ing yourself. _

_Most definitely, our brains need to be removed and burnt at the stake. _

_The beautiful one.'_

Hermione guffawed to herself as she began to write a reply.

'_Blondey, _

_I'm not a smart arse, like I said, I'm just epic._

_It's agreed that our brains must be burnt at the stake, but first they'll have to deflate that massively over-sized ego of yours, otherwise it'll be the end of the world. _

_No, I will not ask Harry to draw one of them on him! I'd wet myself every time I saw him…_

_I'll pull a Cormac McLaggen on you. Oh yeah- I went there. _

_Merlin. If you have it tonight that means you're my 'Prefect Buddy', woohoo. I may have 'dirty blood' but I don't want to actually die, so please don't kill me?_

_Honestly though, why is everyone so interested in the fact that I tied Lavender up? It was her own fault!_

_The amazingly, epically, cleverly, super duper, awesome one_.'

-o-

'_Bush head, smart arse that thinks she epic, same thing. _

_I do NOT have a massive Ego! I just look after myself… speaking of which, wanna borrow my conditioner Granger? _

_Ew, good to know you still wet yourself. Wait are you afraid to say dick? Dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick! _

_I'd bite your hands off if you tried to shrink my DICK._

_Your blood's not dirty, and I promise not to kill you. Happy?_

_You tied her up and told her to think about what she'd done. No one expected you to have a good sense of humour. _

_That name's definitely the overstatement of the century. _

_The beautifully, rich, muscley, hot Slytherin Prince.'_

Reading over it, Hermione couldn't help but burst into a fit of hysterics, waking the apparently sleeping Professor and the entire classroom.

"Oh… erm, I'm… I'm s-sorry?" she stammered as her cheeks turned a shocking pink.

"Yes, well, I'll let you off today, Miss Granger. But I won't be as easy on you the next time," the Professor stated before trying, and failing, to cover up a yawn.

Hermione had never been so happy to hear the bell signalling the end of class. Grabbing her bag and stuffing the notes into it, she calmly walked out of the room looking towards the floor.

oooooo

"What was that all about?" Ron asked as he and Harry jogged to her side. Looking up at his face, she burst into another fit of laughter. He now had one thick black eyebrow, a black goatee, and whiskers. Ron looked confusedly from Hermione to Harry, receiving a shrug from Harry.

"You've gone mad" Ron declared, before grabbing Harry's wrist and dragging him away. Once she'd calmed down she realised that she had a free period, so she decided to spend it in the library.

"Would've been better if it was a dick," came the voice of Draco behind her ear, making Hermione jump.

"Following me Malfoy?" she questioned.

"Free period, I'm going to the library… If that's okay with you?" he chuckled, raising an eyebrow as he smiled down at her.

"Oh, sorry," she muttered. "I'm not afraid of that word as well, it's just very crude!" she blurted out, turning that lovely shade of pink once again.

Positively bursting with laughter, Draco slid down the wall to sit on the floor, _where does she come up with these things? _He questioned to himself. Tears began to roll down his face as more fits of laughter erupted from his mouth. At this rate, he would spend his free period sitting on the floor in hysterics.

Watching him roll around on the floor laughing at her, Hermione turned around and walked away with an exasperated sigh. So she didn't like saying d… that word. What was wrong with that?

oooooo

After jogging down from the sixth floor to the third Hermione felt drained as she slowly strolled right to the back of the library. She felt a small smile creep back onto her face. She was in her favourite place.

Ten of thousands of books covered the shelves surrounding her as she sat on the large window seat. Luckily for her, people didn't tend to go to the back of the library so not many knew this was here. Peering out of the window, she watched as raindrops rolled down the window, joining with another one every now and then. Opening her bag she took out her old, torn copy of _A Midsummer Night's Dream _and started to read.

oooooo

"Wakey, wakey sleeping beauty!" Draco chuckled when he'd finally found her. She was nestled against the window with her head in a book. If it wasn't for her mountain of frizzy hair, it would have been impossible to recognise her. When she began to stir Draco grabbed the book from under her face at the fear she'd rip it and blame him. "Hermione, come on break's starting in a minute. Potty and Weasel will be wondering where you are," he crooned, as he bent towards the sleeping figure.

"Piss off," was all he heard mumbled from under her bushy head.

"That's not nice," he teased, shaking her shoulder softly. As her head shot up and she realised where she was and who she was with she tried to stand quickly, not realising her feet were tucked under her body, sending her flying to the floor.

"Why is it you always end up on your arse when I'm around you?" Draco asked as he let out a small laugh.

"It isn't intentional, trust me," Hermione grumbled. She was tired, and now, to make matters worse, her bum hurt too. "What time is it?" she questioned as she sleepily took his hand and pulled herself up.

"Ten, break's in five" he explained before handing her the book he was holding onto oh so graciously.

"Erm, thanks. I need to go see Hagrid-" She began before he cut her off.

"See you later Granger" Draco said with a smile as he turned around and left the library.

oooooo

"Hagrid, are you there?" Hermione shouted as she banged on his door.

"Ahh, Mione! Just the person I wanted to see" Hagrid bellowed as the large wooden door swung open, just missing Hermione's face. Carrying a rusty bucket filled with raw meat, a sweaty Hagrid stepped out. "Been looking all morning I 'ave! Finally found 'im! Come on, best go feed 'im," Hagrid beamed as he began to walk away.

"So where was Amato?" Hermione asked while they walked back towards the castle.

"You'll see soon," Hagrid chuckled as he came to a stop. Looking up, Hermione saw that they were standing underneath the Gryffindor tower.

"Hagrid, why here?" she inquired as she stared up at her dorm window.

"Above yah window Hermione, can't yah see it?" Hagrid inquired. Concentrating on the window, Hermione could in fact, see a head peering down into her room.

"He's sleeping… above my window?" Hermione asked.

"Right again, Mione!" Hagrid chuckled. "We need to get 'im down though, needs feeding 'e does," he informed her. Nodding, Hermione looked from Hagrid to the Griffin, she had a plan.

"AMATO!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, causing all of the pupils outside to turn and stare at her, including the Griffin. Within seconds of noticing it was her, he was flying at an incredible speed towards her. With a grin on her face she watched until he was just close enough to knock her over, before putting her hand up. "Stop." she said sweetly, as the Griffin did in fact come to a halt at her feet. "Hello, boy," She whispered sweetly as she stroked his soft feathered ears, "Thank you for singing to me and my friend last night."

All around pupils were staring with either shock or fear. Only a select few had ever seen a Griffin before, and none of their experiences had been particularly good.

"Feed 'im quick 'ermione, don' want 'im scaring to many kids now do we?" Hagrid joked as he handed her the bucket.

Hermione placed it under the beak of the Griffin, letting him smell it first. Cocking his head slightly to the side and looking out through half an eyelid at her, the Griffin quickly ate what she was offering. With a smile, Hermione patted his head before handing the bucket back to Hagrid.

"I have Defense Against the Dark Arts with Snape, so had better get going. When will he need feeding again?" she questioned.

"I'll leave a few buckets around, see if e'll eat them. Otherwise I'll come an' get yah" Hagrid said with a smile as the two parted. Once they were quite a distance apart Hagrid turned around, "Oh and 'ermione!" He shouted as she turned to face him, "I'll be bringing yah a brush at dinner, if e's coming in your room best keep 'im clean!" With a wave the two once again parted.

oooooo

The rest of the day seemed to be passing quite quickly. In D.A.D.A. they learnt about non-verbal spells, with Hermione being the only one to correctly perform said spells. Hagrid had brought by the brush at lunch time, by which point most of the school was talking about Hermione's actions with the Griffin. Harry and Ron, who had no idea what was going on, quizzed her and Ginny until their heads felt as if they were about to explode. In her free period she once again went to the library to read, but, yet again, fell asleep. Now, she was sat with Harry and Ron, hearing about the Aguamenti charm.

"Aguamenti," Professor Flitwick said softly, producing a fountain of water from the tip of his wand. "Now, I would like you to all try," he said, before walking round the room.

Repeating the spell, a fountain of water appeared from the end of Hermione and Harry's wands. Ron, who was struggling to say the word right, was beginning to get frustrated.

"For Merlin's sake Hermione, teach me how to do the bloody spell!" He yelled, making her jump and let out a small squeal.

"Ex…excuse me Ronald?" Hermione said, looking into his eyes with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Deaf now as well? Teach me how to do the fucking spell, s'what you're here for isn't it?" He spat, staring daggers towards her. Hermione's mouth fell open in an 'o' shape as she looked from Harry to Ron. Harry was also standing with his mouth open.

"Who the fuck do you think you are!" she screamed back, as she paced towards him, glaring up into his eyes.

"Er, I dunno, Ron Weasley maybe?" he sarcastically mimicked.

"Prick!" Hermione screeched, raising her wand to stab his chest before hissing "Furnunculus," causing large boils to appear all over Ron's body. When he wasn't looking, Hermione pointed her wand at him and whispered the stinging hex. Screams began to erupt from Ron's mouth as he dropped to the floor.

"You disgust me, Ronald Weasley" she spat, as she stomped out of the classroom.

oooooo

Walking into her dorm, Ginny watched as Hermione sat lent against the Griffin with a frown on her face. She was too engrossed in her book to realise Ginny had walked in.

"You okay, Mione?" Ginny questioned as she sat on her bed. Hermione looked up, as a fake smile crossed her face.

"I'm fine Gin, just concentrating," she answered as she started to read again.

"Okay," Ginny said, knowing that she was lying to her. "Coming down to dinner?"

"I'll meet you down there later? I just want to finish up this chapter" Hermione said, without raising her head. Letting out a breath, Ginny got up and walked from the room. Harry and Ron were waiting in the common room.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked.

"She said she's going to meet us down there, is there something wrong with her?"

"Ask Ron," Harry accused as he walked out of the room.

"Ron," Ginny angrily turned and gave him her worst dirty look.

oooooo

"Where's Granger?" Blaise asked quietly, so no one else would hear, as he sat next to Draco at the Slytherin table. He had watched his friend looking over the Gryffindor's table and had noticed that a certain bushy-haired girl was missing.

"I'm not sure. I heard she hexed Weasley in Charms, they had to rush him to the hospital wing. Boils and a stinging hex" Draco said as he placed some food onto his plate and began to fiddle with it. He didn't like the idea that the Weasel had upset her enough to make her do that. "Hey Blaise, got a spare piece of parchment?" He asked his friend. Looking through his bag he pulled out a small bit of paper and handed it over. Scribbling a quick note, he muttered _lumitaw bago Hermione Granger _before tapping it with his wand.

'Heard about your little hexes today Granger, wanna talk about it?' Hermione smiled as she read the note. Getting up and taking a piece of paper from her desk, she sat down before writing a reply. With a sigh, she muttered the charm as she tapped her wand on it.

"What the fuck's that?" Blaise asked as he watched a scrap of paper appear in front of Draco.

"Granger taught me a spell; it sends letters back and forth" Draco answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

'_Can I tell you about it at Prefect duties? And bring me a biscuit, pleaseeeeee? Thanks for asking by the way x' _

Draco smiled as he read the reply.

"Pass me that biscuit, Blaise" Draco insisted, as he pointed towards the largest one.

"I was going to eat that," Blaise mumbled, as he wrapped it in a napkin and passed it to his best friend.

"It's for Hermione, sorry mate," he winked as he finished up his meal, got up and walked back to his dorm.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thankyou for everyone who reviewed the last chapter, reviews make me the happiest EVER.<strong>_

_**I thought I'd attempt to make them be on a sort of friendly level, seeing as this is about the new reformed Draco!**_

_**Hope you liked it!**_

_**Love to all of my reviewers and everyone that's alerted it, means alot :D**_

_**'im-mrs-draco-malfoy'- thankyou so much! made my day reading that you 'lil cutie. I'll definitely have to read yours and get back to you on that one ;p xx**_

_**The anonymous reviewer- Thankyou! I will try to update as fast as I can :-)xx**_

_**My 'FlowerAngelxoxo'- Did I ever tell you I love you? Thankyou sweety :3**_

_**'Respectfremione'- Thankyouuuu!:p**_

_**'Cecilia Hart'- I've decided that I'm definitely going to finish it. I love Shakespeare aswell, I was determined to write a story with him incorporated into it :)**_

_**'marmia days'- me and you both.**_

_**'Emswarek17'- Awrh thanks :') **_

_**'readingtilldawn'- your reviews make my day, so I thought it only fair to acknowledge that :) Thankyou so much!**_

_**'Holly'- Thankssss!:D I will :p**_

_**'kallee blackthorn'- hehe, I shall put more up soon, I'm hoping for it to be quite long with a lot happening, but without dragging anything out and making it boring ;)**_

_**'BelleBelles'- I like cute stuff :p **_

_**'greatEXpectationz'- me thinks, we think alike ;D **_


	7. Playing With The Ragdoll

**_Well, this is the longest chapter so far; so hopefully it's okay!_**

**_Thank-you again to my amazing editor, this chapter was prettttty sucky before she worked her magic; A Rogue Without Her Remy. _**

**_Oh, if any of you are looking for something else to read, I suggest 'Renee Potter- The Philosophers Stone', written by 'FlowerAngelxoxo'. I love that girl :3_**

**_Anyways; here yaaah go!_**

* * *

><p>Hermione unconsciously stared out of the large window on the seventh floor of the castle. Raindrops once again danced down the window pane, joining with each other in a race to the bottom. It was pitch black for nine twenty-five on a September night, the only form of light outside being that of the moon. The half crescent shone down, accompanied by a vast array of twinkling stars, hidden slightly by the pouring rain. Occasionally, she'd catch sight of the greenish-black body of an Augury flying gracefully around in the heavy downpour. When she had been to the library while everyone else was in the Great Hall eating dinner, she had sat and listened to their distinctive cries, signalling that intense rain was soon to be on its way to the Hogwarts grounds. A tear ran down her face as she thought back to the letters she had owled to her mother and father when she'd gotten back to her room a few hours before.<p>

_Hermione had finished her homework within forty-five minutes, checking everything and not being able to find a single mistake, as per usual. Picking up the large paddle brush Hagrid had given her, which had been thrown onto her bed with her bag, she began to gently brush Amato. Cooing in satisfaction, he looked at her intently before rubbing his head against hers in a subtle show of affection. This was how Ginny had found her, head pressed against the large creature as she brushed his golden feathers and fur. Placing her things on her bed, Ginny walked over to her friends' side and sat down, careful not to startle her as she didn't seem to have noticed her entering. Taking the brush from her friends hand she continued brushing where her Hermione had left off. _

"_Harry told me what happened today," Ginny said in an almost whisper. Hermione titled her head towards her with a sad smile on her face. _

"_I know I overreacted, I'm just sick of being treated horribly," Hermione whispered, closing her eyes as they began to glaze over. Ginny placed the brush down on the floor before scooting right up to Hermione's side and draping an arm over her shoulders. _

"_Personally, I think you under-reacted! He can be such an idiot, I don't even know how your friends with him at all… Erm, Hermione I know this is really none of my business, but I noticed that only your dad's owled you. Normally I look forward to your mums cookies on the first day of term. I saw the way you were this morning when the owls came, if it wasn't for him writing to you, I am quite positive you would have (would've) started crying. She hasn't been writing to you has she?" Ginny asked, she felt an awful lot of pity for her friend; she'd noticed that she hadn't received anything from her mum when she'd stayed at the Burrow for the last week of the holidays. She knew, personally, that she would be lost without her mum. Tears glistened as they rolled down Hermione's cheek._

"_I don't know what I've done, I've gone over everything in my head but for once I can't figure something out," she stated with a frustrated sigh. "She's just suddenly started ignoring me, she didn't even acknowledge me when I came home from school. If dad suggested we should go and do something she was suddenly busy. It's all as if she doesn't want anything to do with me, and it's breaking my heart, Gin. What can I do? Please tell me," she pleaded with a sob. Ginny, whose heart was also breaking for her friend, felt tears cover her cheeks. Lifting a hand she rubbed a finger over her friends face, ridding it of the salty wetness that resided there, before doing the same to her own. _

"_Write to her. Ask her what you've done, tell her how you feel and what she means to you. And send another one to your dad; see if he can help? But then I guess you'll have to give it time to see what happens. But whatever does happen, I'm always here Mione, I'm your best friend, and I love you. Even if you did almost kill me with this not-so-little pet of yours," she giggled as she poked Amato in the side. Hermione chuckled as she pulled Ginny into a tight embrace. _

"_Thank you, Gin, I love you too," she whispered into the redheads ear. _

_So Hermione set to it, she was going to write to her parents and wait patiently to see if her mother would answer. Taking out her quill, a jar of ink and two pieces of parchment, she immediately began to write. _

'_Mum,_

_I missed you last week. I thought you'd be home to see me before I went to the Burrow. Dad told me that you had a meeting so I hope that went well… I know you're not exactly impressed with me at the moment, but I still wished you would have been there.  
><em>_I guess our tradition ended, huh? I was pretty upset when I didn't get at least a letter this morning, but you must have been busy, and I suppose I could do with eating less fat anyway.  
><em>_I normally talk to you about boys, seeing as it would be weird to do that with Dad. I have a secret admirer; he sends me cute letters every now and then. I'd love to show them you, maybe I could at Christmas when I come home?  
><em>_Rather than prolong it, I'm going to just jump straight to the point. You've ignored me since I came home for the holidays, and I wanted to know what I've done. I promise I'll never do it again, and I'm already sorry. I've missed you. It's not the same without your letters filled with anything and everything, and it's only been a day. So please, I'm begging you, tell me what I've done so I can fix it.  
><em>_I'm home sick already and I've only been here a day._

_I love you. _

_Hermione.'_

_Checking over it, she watched as her tears dropped onto the parchment, blurring letters here and there, folding it she placed it to the side and started on her fathers'. _

'_Daddy, _

_I loved the jumper! It fits perfectly, It's been quite cold so I think I'll be needing it. I know this is going to sound silly coming from a sixteen year old, but could you send me one of your old hoodies for bed, like I used to do when I was younger? I'm feeling really home sick and it always used to work when I was little and I missed you.  
><em>_How's Nanny doing? I hope you've been visiting her lots, give her a hug from me.  
><em>_My first day was alright I guess. I was the only one in my class who could perform nonverbal spells without practice, so I'm really happy about that!  
><em>_But guess what? I've befriended a Griffin, you know form the Greek myths? He's called Amato. He's beautiful. He cheered me up a lot today.  
><em>_How's mum? She still hasn't written to me. Daddy, it's killing me. Does she not love me anymore?  
><em>_Anyway, tonight's my first night Prefecting; I have duties from nine thirty until midnight.  
><em>_I've started reading 'A Midsummer's Night Dream' again. I think I left my new books at home…  
><em>_It's raining A LOT. It reminds me of when we all used to snuggle on the couch with a blanket and hot chocolate watching films.  
><em>_It's nine o'clock now so I'll have to go and start, I promise I'll write a better letter tomorrow._

_I love you, miss you so much. _

_Hermione x'_

_She checked over that and decided it was better than nothing. Folding it, she placed each one into an envelope, addressed them, and then attached to the school owl perched on Ginny's desk. As she watched the small grey owl fly out of the window, she felt a small amount of hope well up in the pit of her stomach. _

The smell of rain and wet bricks overwhelmed her senses as more tears fell freely. From the window she could see a small hint of light which she presumed was coming from Hagrid's hut. The tall emerald green trees of the Forbidden Forest swayed aggressively due to the forceful winds, letting out whooshing noises as it attempted to gain entrance through the thick windows, failing miserably. The Black Lake looked shockingly still despite the horrendous winds.

Hermione couldn't help but feel guilty; her mother wouldn't just ignore her for no reason, right? The sounds of footsteps pulled her from her thoughts as a menacing voice spoke.

"Awrh, the Mudblood's crying, what happened, filth? Someone teach your disgusting parents a lesson for raising such trash?" Another person let out a throaty laugh as more tears spilled down her face.

"Shut up," she said weakly.

"Does no one love the Mudblood, now, then?" Another bitter-filled chuckle followed as she was thrown against the wall forcefully. As her head hit the cold bricks, she let out a shriek of pain before she was flipped around.

In front of her stood Crabbe and Goyle, wands raised.

"Stop it," she sobbed, earning herself a fit of laughter from the duo.

"In your dreams, Mudblood," Crabbe sneered as she was flung from wall to wall. Pain overwhelmed her entire body as more cries of agony escaped her lips.

"Disgusting, there's Mudblood on the walls," Goyle spat viciously. The two lowered their wands, causing Hermione to crumple in a heap in the corner before they surrounded her. To Hermione, it felt like hours had gone by, when really only five minutes had passed.

"What should we do first?" Crabbe eagerly asked Goyle, menace in his voice.

"May as well get a bit of fun out of it, while we can," Goyle grinned as he began to lean forward and reach for her arm.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" A voice bellowed from behind them. Hermione, who was crying uncontrollably into her hands, was in too much pain to distinguish who was speaking.

"Playing with the Mudblood," Crabbe stated with a large grin, earning an elbow in the ribs from Goyle.

"Never bother her again!" the voice maliciously spat, causing the two gangly boys to nod profusely. "Now move, I'll deal with you both later," he warned, something in his voice told Hermione that he meant every word he said.

The sound of feet pattering quickly sounded throughout the corridor. She could feel the stickiness coating her body, _yep, the walls are definitely covered in blood_, she told herself.

Hermione felt a pair of strong, welcoming arms engulf her. Feeling safe in the person's arms, she wrapped hers around their neck as said person picked her up and began carrying her away. A soothing hand brushed over her hair as she buried her head into his neck. Even though she had no idea who it was, she felt as if nothing could ever harm her in his arms. Sobbing gently, she cursed herself for drenching this kind person in her tears and blood. '_Remember baby, the worlds a scary place, always watch your back and you'll be fine' _the voice of her mother spoke in her head as she recalled that conversation, starting up a new stream of tears.

"It's okay, I won't let them hurt you anymore. Never again, shh," his soft voice gently cooed into her ear.

Pain was coursing through her head, lips, ribs, arms and legs. Crabbe and Goyle had definitely done a good job, she was certain her arm and a few ribs were broken. Lovely!

"If I wasn't a Mudblood, this wouldn't have happened," she cried into his shoulder.

"You are not a Mudblood! There's nothing wrong with you; it's them. They're just brainless buffoons," he quietly said, stroking her hair again. Hermione could feel herself drifting off, just like she did every time someone stroked her hair. "Go to sleep, I'll get Pomfrey to fix this little mess while I go kick their arses," he chuckled. Hermione giggled, before letting out a yawn as she fell asleep in his perfect arms.

Draco could feel her breathing slow as she softly began to snore against his bare neck. When he has been walking to find her, he'd spotted a window dotted with blood. Knowing that his duty as a prefect meant he had to keep order, he decided to investigate. Around the bend of the corner, blood was smeared down both sides of the wall, drops scattered across the floor. Looking up, he could see Crabbe and Goyle hunched over something squashed up in the corner at the far end of the corridor. He didn't mind them bullying people, but causing this much damage was going too far. That's when he saw it: that distinctive brown mane, messily covering the person on the floor.

Carrying her to the hospital wing, he could see the blood that was soaked through her clothes and the bruises blanketed the uncovered pieces of flesh. Her arm around his neck felt oddly bent and he was sure her rib was pointing out and stabbing him in the chest. They. Were. Dead. And by no means was he going to go easy on them and simply Avada their sorry arses. Oh no. He'd use each and every one of those techniques he had to horrifically watch Voldemort and his followers perform on innocent people. Yes, that's what he'd do: he would torture them until they were begging for him to kill them. Idiots, hurting his Hermione. Not. A. Chance.

Reaching the hospital wing after running down a painstaking amount of stairs - from the seventh floor to the first - he pushed open to door and watched as Madam Pomfrey quickly rushed towards him, asking him what seemed like a thousand questions within the space of a minute. Ushering him towards a bed, he tried to place Hermione down on it, but she had other ideas. Her grip on his neck tightened in her sleep, refusing to let go.

"Erm… she won't let go," Draco stated, hiding the happiness which threatened to overwhelm his aristocratic features. Letting out a chuckle she walked behind the ecstatic boy and pried Hermione's steel grip apart. Feeling her grip release from his neck, he leaned forward and placed her on top of the bed. Finally getting a look at her face, he examined the damage as Pomfrey scribbled something on a piece of scrap paper and sent it away on an owl. Her left eye was surrounded by a deep purple bruise, a large slit crossing the eyebrow above it. Her nose was oozing blood, but otherwise didn't look to badly damaged. Her normally perky, baby pink lips had suffered quite a bit, as her bottom lips was thick and split. Her white shirt was now pink, answering his unspoken question of whether or not her body had also suffered. Clenching his fists at his sides, he went to turn around when a hand reached out and stopped him.

"I think it's best for you to stay here, I've sent for Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. Now, before you go on a killing spree, why don't you tell me what happened, Draco," she inquired with a smile, as she flicked her wand bringing a chair to the bedside for him to sit in. With a huff of defeat, he sat in the chair and recalled what he had seen. As he neared the end, he examined the older woman's face as it began to twist in anger.

"Disgusting. The nerve of some people! There is nothing wrong with her, she's merely a young girl. Oh dear, she must be in a lot of pain!" she muttered, turning and walking towards the store cupboard. Wandering back out, she unscrewed a small vial, opened Hermione's mouth, poured the liquid in and closed her mouth once more, taping her throat to induce a swallowing effect.

"That should hopefully take care of the pain," the nurse stated, before muttering something as she flicked her wand towards Hermione's sleeping body. Tuting, she perched on the edge of the bed and eyed the platinum boy: his face was etched with worry and concern.

"Broken arm, four broken ribs, fractured ankle and severe bruising all over her body. You're lucky you stopped them when you did, a rib is dangerously close to piercing her lung," she told him, standing to return back to her store cupboard as Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore arrived.

Draco was raging, _who did they think they were doing this to her?_ Oh yes, he was definitely going to kill them.

A startled gasp from behind him brought him back to the present, turning around he was met by the Headmaster and Gryffindor's Head of House.

"What happened?" the professor asked, not even attempting to hide the fondness she held towards the injured girl.

"I'm sure Mr. Malfoy is going to inform us of just that Minerva, aren't you?" Dumbledore asked with a mischievous smile, knowing exactly about Draco's murderous plans. So once again, Draco told them what he had seen, going into extreme detail this time. Professor McGonagall's mouth was set in an 'o' as soon as he was finished. Whereas Dumbledore's smile had increased in size, his eyes twinkling in a knowing manner, causing Draco to blush slightly. _You are a Malfoy, and Malfoys do not blush, you fool! Well, this one does, so suck it! _he inwardly argued.

"Thank you for bringing Miss Granger here, that was a very kind thing of you to do. So you said it was Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe who did this?" the professor reiterated, looking at Hermione, who had just let out a small whimper in her sleep.

"Yes, and I'm going to kill them for it," Draco blurted out before he could stop himself. His blush returned milliseconds after his normal colouring had came back. Both the Headmaster and professor began to laugh at his sudden outburst. "Sorry," he muttered as he looked towards his shoes.

"Don't you worry, we'll take care of it," Dumbledore chirped as he patted Draco's shoulder. "Now Minerva, why don't you go and retrieve Crabbe and Goyle and escort them to my office while I have a word with Poppy?" he asked (suggested) with a twinkle of his eyes. Nodding, she turned on her heel and left the Hospital Wing swiftly.

oooooo

Downstairs in the Slytherin common room, Crabbe and Goyle were busy boasting about their actions.

"Mudblood was all over the walls."

"I'm sure I heard a few things break."

"Yeh, she was blubbering all over the place."

"Stupid Gryffindor Princess, Draco got there before we could have more fun though." Goyle beamed, earning stares from every set of eyes in the room.

"So you're saying, you broke Hermione Granger, and Draco found you doing it?" Blaise questioned with an unreadable expression.

"Yup, guess he finished it off for us," grinned Crabbe.

"Are you two stupid? Everyone knows the Gryffindork is off limits. Draco's practically in love with her. Hell, I once said I'd consider shagging her and got a punch in the face!" Theodore Nott exclaimed.

"I called her a Mudblood before I knew about his little crush. Needless to say he hexed me. I was in the Hospital for a week," Pansy Parkinson started.

"He thinks people don't know. My guess is when he's taken her to be fixed up, then he'll come down here and kill you both with his bare hands," Blaise calmly added with an indifferent shrug of his shoulders.

"How much damage did you idiots cause?" Daphne Greengrass interjected, glaring at the duo in front of her.

Gulping, Goyle began to think, "Well there was blood everywhere like we said… and she just lay there on the floor, shrieking," Goyle shivered at the thought of her bloodcurdling cries, "Her arm looked pretty fucked up, and something was sticking out from underneath her shirt. That was pretty gross. She turned purple as well, Draco said to never bother her again…" he recalled, looking around at the five sets of eyes currently on him, as realisation sunk in.

"Was nice knowing you both!" Blaise smiled.

"You're both more than dead," Pansy chuckled.

"Knowing Draco, you'll be begging for him to just kill you both," Theo said as he placed his legs over Daphne's lap on the couch.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Theo's statement. Good luck!" She agreed, picking up the book she had been reading before the dumb duo interrupted her. "Personally, I'm quite disgusted with you both. Hermione's not all that bad - don't look at me like that Pansy. I occasionally have intellectual conversations with her when were both alone in the library," Daphne added.

Crabbe and Goyle looked at one another before simultaneously muttering, "Shit."

"Mr. Goyle, Mr. Crabbe, I suggest you come with me quickly. Mr. Malfoy is on his way down here and he plans on killing you both. As I will not feel particularly inclined to stop him, it would be best you hurried up," Professor McGonagall barked as she walked through the Slytherin common room entrance. Pansy, Blaise, Theo and Daphne all burst out laughing at the look of pure horror on their faces.

"Well, hurry up!" The Professor snapped, turning and leaving as the two in question quickly skittered after her.

oooooo

"I spoke to the Ministry this morning, your mothers been taken into hiding at The Orders' safe house. However, I'm afraid your father refused and is continuing on as a Death Eater," Dumbledore told Draco, who had been sat in silence holding Hermione's hand for the past few minutes.

"I thought as much," he bitterly muttered. Of course his father had done that. Always putting Volde-fucking-mort before his own family. Idiot.

Madam Pomfrey crept out of her cupboard muttering slightly to herself, arms filled with a variety of different vials. When she spotted the Headmaster, she smiled brightly at him.

"Ahh Dumbledore, I'm sure Draco has filled you in on what happened?" she questioned, her smile increased in size and her eyes twinkled slightly when she noticed the entwined hands.

"Yes Poppy, may I have a word with you?" Dumbledore gently asked the nurse.

"Of course, just let me administer these potions first," she instructed as poured two vials down Hermione's throat, tapping it once more. When Draco stared curiously, she chuckled, "Bone healer to fix the broken bones, I created it myself," she stated proudly, "and blood replenisher to make up for all the blood she's lost." Draco smiled towards her as his thumb gently traced circles on the top of Hermione's hand.

"Would you like to do me a favour?" she questioned.

"Of course," He answered politely.

"Clean up the blood on her? Gently though, bone healing is a painful thing," she explained, "oh and _Scourgify_" she muttered, removing the blood from his clothes, before handing him a small pail of soapy water and a cloth as he nodded. Smiling, she turned and left Draco to complete the task.

Dipping the cloth into the warm bubbly water, Draco wrung it of any excess water before carefully wiping the blood away from her peaceful face. Using his thumb, he hooked some stray hair and tucked it behind her ear. Dabbing as softly as possible at her cut eyebrow, he watched as her lips parted slightly and a gentle whimper escaped.

Grinning from ear to ear, he took one hand in his, rinsed the cloth and draped it over her hand. Massaging her palm as he washed away all traces of blood, he took the time to really look at her. Above her right eyebrow, there sat a small thick zigzag shaped scar that ran through the hair. On the left side of her face, just above her ear, she had a small heart shaped freckle. Her nose was small and buttoned, adding to her girl-next-door look. Her eyebrows were perfectly shaped, bringing attention to her large eyes. Her eyelashes were long and thick, even without mascara. She was slightly tanned, dotted by a couple of miniature freckles. Her bushy hair was wavy, a beautiful shade of brown with natural golden highlights. Her top lip was set in a permanent pout, adding to her adorable persona. She had small, delicate hands with perfectly manicured nails. Her arms were also dotted with a few freckles and covered by light blonde hairs.

Wiping away the last trace of blood, he placed the pail of water and cloth on the bedside table before gently stroking her hair. Watching as her lips curled into a small smile, he felt her arms snake around his waist and latch on, pulling him down to lay by her side. Pressing her head to his chest, she let out a soft snore.

_Hermione Granger's a cuddler and snorer, who would have guessed?_

"Not letting go again?" Madam Pomfrey laughed to herself as she walked out of her office and watched the sleeping girl possessively grip the Slytherin.

"Afraid so," Draco grinned, causing Dumbledore, who had just left the office also, to chuckle. As he walked towards the exit he called back, "Seeing as you're meant to be on Prefect duties tonight, you may stay until midnight. Head boy and Head girl have covered your duties for the night. Might I add, you make an adorable couple?" With a twinkle of his eyes, he gracefully left the room.

oooooo

It was nearing half past ten and Draco still had a large beaming smile on his face. The old man's words had made his year. Hermione had still yet to let go, and showed no signs of doing so anytime soon. Madam Pomfrey was asleep at her desk, having retired there once she'd checked Hermione over.

Looking out of the window, he decided that this year was definitely looking up.

"Please Mum, don't hate me… I don't understand." He barely made out the words as they were mumbled from Hermione's sleeping form. Her face, compared to just a minute ago, was covered in tears and the poor girl looked heartbroken. "Tell me why you don't l…love me," was stuttered from her now trembling lips. Knowing that she was having a nightmare, he pulled her closer to him and wiped the tears from her face. Her grip tightened on him as he placed a butterfly kiss on her forehead.

"Shh, it's okay," he whispered into her ear, causing her to shudder slightly, "I'm here," he stated as he put his cheek to her forehead.

Hermione, who had awoken when Draco had pulled her closer, lay still with her eyes closed. She knew this was her saviour; he had been to the one to bring her here, and now she could make out whom it was she marvelled in the moment. Forgetting her nightmare completely, she fell back to sleep tucked in his warm embrace.

oooooo

"Wake up Miss Granger," Pomfrey called out to her as she placed a vial by her bedside. Watching the girl slowly open her eyes, she smiled softly. "Drink that, then you can go and get ready for breakfast," she explained, pointing to the vial on the bedside table.

Hermione picked it up and drank it in one large gulp. The potion was tasteless and slithered down her throat quickly. Putting the empty vial back on the table, she noticed that something wrapped up was also placed there. Opening it, she looked at the large cookie and grinned widely. Unfolding the note, which had been placed underneath it, she bit into the cookie as she read over it.

'_Morning!_

_Hope you're feeling better. I sat with you until twelve. I'm ever so kind, I know.  
><em>_Here's that biscuit I promised, better late than never! I was hungry so I had a bite, hope you don't mind.  
><em>_See you at breakfast!_

_The gorgeous blonde one.'_

Giggling, she looked at the half eaten biscuit. Sure enough, a large bite had been taken out of it the other side.

Eating the other half quickly, she jumped down from the bed, bidding goodbye to Madam Pomfrey before skipping all the way to the common room, accompanied by her black eye and split lip.

oooooo

"Mione! Where've you been? I was worried si… What in Merlin's beard has happened to your eye! And your lip!" Ginny all but screeched when Hermione entered their dorm. Covering her ears and wincing from the intensity of Ginny's voice she made her way over to her trunk.

"I was crying and Crabbe and Goyle passed me. They used me as a rag doll and threw me off a few walls. Madam Pomfrey said I had a fractured ankle, lots of broken ribs and a broken arm. Everything's healed, but I still have a headache, so please, lower your voice," Hermione begged as she pulled out her school robes and wash bag. "How long until breakfast?" she asked her friend quietly.

"Half an hour, go get in the shower quickly, then you can tell me properly what happened when you come back," Ginny demanded. With a nod of her head Hermione once again left the room.

oooooo

"So you're saying… Draco Malfoy saved you from Slytherins, carried you to the Hospital Wing, sat with you all night, and then left you a cookie? Are you sure about that?" Ginny questioned, staring unbelievably in her friend's direction.

"Yes I'm sure. Look," Hermione said as she handed the note she'd received that morning over. Ginny quickly read over it before shaking her head. "What?"

"That's amazing. Oh, now you could help me with something, Mione." Ginny muttered, turning bright red.

"Anything," Hermione smiled.

"Well, you know how like everyone assumes you're in love with Ron and I'm in love with Harry for some stupid reason?" Ginny asked. She was right, ever since they'd all met each other, people had jumped to the idiotic conclusions that the two girls were smitten with their best friends. Hermione nodded, waiting for Ginny to continue. "Well, I kind of need your help with something… Now that you're obviously on good terms with Malfoy, I need you to put a good word in for me," She stated.

"What, with Malfoy?" Hermione puzzled.

"NO! He's good looking and everything but he's not my type, I sort of erm… how do I say this… I fancy the hell out of his best friend." answered Ginny, turning a beetroot red.

"And that would be…"

"Blaise Zabini. He's gorgeous and his voice, wow. It makes me weak at the knees-"

"Too much information! I'll try, but I'm not promising anything," Hermione concluded. "Now come on, I'm starving."

oooooo

"Wow, what happened to your face Hermione? You look terrible!" Ron blurted out when she sat at the Gryffindor table. Coming into the Great Hall everyone had stared at her as if they'd never seen a girl with a thick lip and black eye!

"Thanks, dickhead!" she spat towards the redhead, slamming pancakes onto her plate.

"Really, you look disgusting, your lips all… I dunno it's just horrible," Ron stated, staring right at her face with a look of horror on his own.

"You know what? I've had enough of you!" Hermione screeched as she jumped across the table, fork in hand.

Letting out a scream, Ron fell back of off his chair, hitting the floor with a loud thud.

Hermione, who was still trying to stab the trembling Weasley, was now being refrained by Harry and Ginny.

"Hermione! He's not worth it," Ginny pleaded with her friend who looked slightly manic at this moment in time. "You'll lose your Head Girl badge" she tried.

"I guess so…" Hermione muttered, crawling over the table back to her chair.

"You… you lunatic!" Ron cried as he ran from the Great Hall. Every pupil and Professor present had been watching with fascination as the usually calm and collected Gryffindor tried to murder her best friend.

Humming slightly, Hermione started to eat the pancakes on her plate with a smile on her face, _losing your cool's awesome_, she told herself.

oooooo

"I think I just fell in love," Theo mumbled. He and the Slytherin table were watching in awe as Hermione tried to butcher the Weasel.

"Fuck you," Draco said, glaring in Theo's direction.

"He's got a point mate, that was fucking fit," Blaise stated matter-of-factly, taking in a large mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"Theo and Blaise have a point, I would turn lesbian for that," Pansy admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. Every boys eyes were on her, mouths set in an 'o'.

"Agreed Pans," Daphne grinned, winking at her black haired friend.

"I think I just came…" Theo groaned.

"Enough!" Draco snapped, "We have come to the conclusion that, yes, what Granger just did was fucking fit, end of conversation," he informed the group. All heads nodded in reply.

"Anyone got a piece of spare paper?" He asked softly. Daphne reached down under the table and pulled a piece from her bag. "Erm, and a quill?" he laughed. Letting out a sigh Daphne handed over hers. "Thanks Daph," Draco smiled.

Scrawling something on the paper, he tapped the paper with his wand after muttering something too low for the group to hear.

"What the hell?" Pansy exclaimed in amazement, watching as the paper disappeared.

oooooo

Hermione sat nodding at whatever Harry or Ginny said, unprepared for a proper conversation. She was too busy anticipating the arrival of the morning post. Stabbing at the last pancake on her plate, she was surprised to hear a distinctly non-pancake type rustling sound. Looking down, her fork was stabbed into a piece of paper. Unfolding it, she started to make out the words.

'_We here at the Slytherin table have come to the conclusion that your actions this morning were fucking hot. The girls would even turn lesbian for it_.' Reading over it twice, she began howling with laughter, losing her balance and falling back off of the chair.

"You okay, Mione?" Ginny asked, peeking under the table. Hermione was rolling around on the floor, tears rolling down her face as she attempted to breathe.

"I'm… f-f-fine Gin," Hermione managed to get out. "Pass me… pa-paper and qui-ill please," she squealed as she continued to roll around on the floor. Reaching into her bag, Ginny took out the required instruments and passed them to the insane girl on the floor.

Hermione wrote a quick note and sent it back to Draco.

oooooo

'_What can I say, I'm quite the animal when I want to be. Rawr_.' Draco, who was in the process of drinking pumpkin juice, spat it out all over an unsuspecting Tracy Davis.

"Sorry about that…" he muttered, handing her a napkin.

"What was that about?" Blaise interrogated. Letting out a series of guffaws, Draco handed over the messy, barely readable note to Blaise, who also spat his drink out after he'd read it.

"You're not the only one who came, Theo," Draco choked as his laughter began to stop.

"Agreed," Blaise shared. Passing it around the small group, all of the pupils stared wide eyed at it. Turning the paper over, Draco began to pen a response.

oooooo

'_Hermione, the Slytherins have all now come (literally) to the conclusion that your actions and note have proceeded to make us come in our pants. Thank you' _Hermione stared at the paper in shock, before once again falling back of off her chair in laughter.

"Seriously, what's going on?" Ginny hissed. Hermione passed the note to Ginny.

"D-don't show Harry," she mumbled between giggles. Bursting into a fit of laughter, Ginny handed Hermione the note as owls began to fly around the Hall. Hermione forgot about the notes and jumped up, praying that her mother had written. Watching as a bundle of letters and a package dropped in front of her she couldn't help but feel hopeful.

She quickly ripped open the first letter and skimmed through it.

'_Hermione, _

_I have attached a hoodie, hopefully that mad owl has brought it. It ate one of my shirts!  
><em>_I miss you lots, it's never the same without your big mouth around here, or someone to correct me when I get something wrong. Hope you're looking after yourself, my little genius.  
><em>_I visit Nanny every day, mostly when your mum's out. I was with her last night when I got your letter, I gave a her a hug and she said to tell you that she hopes you're enjoying yourself, and not interacting with any boys, her words not mine, honest! The doctors say she isn't getting any better, but she's not getting worse either. She said she doesn't feel pain anymore, so I'll just keep praying.  
><em>_I'm so proud of you! You never did need to practice anything to get it right, though, did you? I bought you an extra book for doing so well. Mr. Weasley told me how hard those non-verbal's are, so I'm over the moon!  
><em>_Ahh yes, I know a little about Griffins, head like an eagle, body like a lion? And there's me thinking that they're mythical. I'm glad he's cheered you up; I don't like it when you're unhappy.  
><em>_I don't know what to say about your mother… we've been at each other's throats over you for months. She doesn't seem to think she's done anything wrong. Ridiculous. Her head's to far up her arse with all these 'meetings.' Don't tell her I said that, though, she'd eat me alive. She loves you, Hermione, more than anything in the world, but in all honesty I don't know why she's being like this.  
><em>_Make sure you have all of your homework done before duties, I wouldn't want you falling behind.  
><em>_I attached your books, they were wrapped up on your bed and I also attempted to make some cookies for you… they're not great but I didn't want the tradition to end. Sorry that they're a day late, honey.  
><em>_I was out in my shed yesterday morning and it brought back some memories of my own, when we all used to go there when it was raining and make anything and everything! I still have the odd ornaments that we used to make on the shelf. They're worth more to me than any amount of money.  
><em>_Write soon darling,_

_I love and miss you. _

_Dad'._

Wiping a stray tear from her face, Hermione folded it and placed it down, opening the next (etter.

'_Prefect meeting tonight, straight after dinner.  
><em>_Everyone must be present.  
><em>_It will be held in the Study Area on the fourth floor.  
><em>_The password is 'Ordine'.  
><em>_Mr. Zabini and Ms. Lovegood will be required to do their duties straight after this meeting._

_Professor McGonagall.'_

With a huff, Hermione placed that on top of her father's letter. She quickly moved to the next.

'_Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. _

_A Midsummer Night's Dream.'_

Hermione smiled brightly: that was her favourite quote, from her second favourite book. Whoever this was, they were beyond sweet. They knew exactly how to make her smile, laugh and blush. They were exactly what she wanted in a boyfriend. She was never one to go for a person's looks, but for their personalities, for looks could fade but a personality didn't. And for that reason, she feared she was falling in love with a stranger. Carefully folding it, she placed it back into its envelope and stuffed it into the inside pocket of her robe, where Malfoys handkerchief sat. There was one letter left on the table. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt as if it would break through her ribs and push its way out of her body. Gulping back the sudden need to vomit, she slowly opened the envelope and began to read…

'_Hermione.  
><em>_My meeting went well, thank you.  
><em>_You didn't get cookies, it's not the end of the bloody world._

_Mum.'_

Anger welled through her body. Without realising it, she scrunched the letter into her fist. Pushing the other letters and the large package into her bag, she stood up.

"I'm going to Potions," she spat as she stomped away from the Hall. Tears now fell freely down her face without her even noticing. Harry and Ginny stared at her in shock as she practically ran from their presence.

"What was that about?" Harry quizzed, turning to face Ginny.

"I have a feeling her mum wrote to her," she claimed, looking down at her food. She knew that if her mum hadn't written, she would have been sad, but the fact that she was angry told her that she had answered, and whatever she had put in the letter wasn't motherly…

oooooo

Watching as Hermione stormed from the Hall, a letter scrunched in her hand and tears falling down her face, Draco turned back to his friends. "I'm going to start walking to Potions, I'll see you all there," he announced. Without waiting for a reply, he quickly rushed from the Hall in the same direction that Hermione had.

Running down the stairs towards the Potions classroom, Draco nearly fell as he crashed into someone sitting on the bottom stair.

"Sorry…" the person muttered.

"Hermione?" Draco asked, staring down at the trembling figure. As she looked up at him, he was expecting a curse to be thrown his way or to be told to piss of, but what happened shocked him entirely.

She jumped from where she sat and threw her arms around him, crying into the crook of his neck.

Realising she was hugging him, he wrapped his arms around her petite frame and softly stroked her hair.

"T-thank you for helping me, and s-sitting with me, and letting me c-cry and bleed on you and for the cookie and the notes this morning, you're a lot nicer then I t-thought," she sobbed.

"Wanna tell me what's up?" he queried.

"My m-mum hates me! I sent her a huge letter last night because she hasn't spoken to me since I left Hogwarts last term, and she answered with this!" she shouted, thrusting the crumpled paper into his face.

Using one hand, he unscrunched the letter, and read it, taking it all in.

"Wow, I'm sorry, Hermione. I don't know what I'd do without my mum. You've still got your dad though I guess, and all of your friends. She'll come around, I'm certain," he whispered into her ear. "Come on, class starts in a few minutes, we'll go find a seat," he encouraged her, removing his arms from her waist and placing one over her shoulder. Smiling up at him she placed her head against his chest.

"Thank you again," she mumbled as they walked through the classroom door.

"Anytime," Draco answered, patting her on the back. "Now, let's turn that frown upside down!" he chirped, as his hands went to her hips and began to tickle her. The sound of her delightful, light-hearted laughter filled the classroom as Draco dragged her towards a seat and plopped her down. "If I see that frown again, I will not refrain from starting another tickle attack," he whispered. Moving away to sit at one of the tables closest to the back, he watched as the classroom slowly began to fill, and sure enough, Hermione's frown had been turned upside down.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Okay, so maybe a lot of you have noticed the violence aimed towards Ron... sorry about that, I just don't like him. Not one bit. But hey, they'll make up seeing as they are best friends. <strong>_

_**Oh, and if you think Hermione is out of character, shes not. Shes having trouble with being herself due to her mums behavior, so shes reflecting all of that anger on poor old Ron!**_

_**Review please! They fuel my writting :p  
>Also, if people have any suggestions; they'd be greatly apprieciated!<strong>_

_** Now to start on my thanks, seeing as i feel obliged to ;p**_

_**'FlowerAngelxoxo'- I'm glad it made you laugh!:') making you dislike Ron is all part of my evil plan, share my hatred ;D hahahaha; thankyou pudding xD I'm trying to make him seem out of character, but that's him being the proper 'him' seeing as he admitted to Dumbledore that hes been pretending to be someone hes not; so i'm glad you like him :D I did! All things I made up are sayings or words in another language :-) try ittttt ;) you my dear; are so dirty!:p**_

_**'Anonymous'- Thankyou so much!:') I will :3**_

_**'Emswarek17'- hehe, that's what i'm aiming for!:p thankyou &I will!**_

_**'marmia days'- your epic. **_

_**'dragonsjuliet'- Thankyou so much! I'm glad you like it:') I'll be sure to update as often as i can :-) **_

_**'BelleBelles'- Thankooo:p I loveeeee that film! Heath Ledger was a legend. They're lucky ;D **_

_**'greatEXpectationz'- Thank's :-) **_

_**'sunkissedkelsey'- I'm glad you like it!:) thankyouuu x**_

_**And of courseeee; thankyou to everyone that alerted and favorited it, your all awesomeeeee! :3**_


	8. Going Flying

**_Iya :p_**

* * *

><p>Staring at the blank piece of parchment in front of her, Hermione pondered how to start her essay. 'The Making and Uses of Felix Felicis' <em>May as well add a title<em>, she told herself, writing the words neatly at the top of the page before taking to staring at it once more. _It would help if I had a book to look at_… she decided. Standing up from her favourite window seat, she set the parchment and her quill down on the cushioned fabric prior to searching the extensive range of books Hogwarts had to offer. Going straight to the section labelled 'F' in the designated Potions area. After spending almost five years of her life in the Library, she was quite confident that she knew it like the back of her hand. Scanning through the titles she began to work out which would be of most use to her. '_Felix Felicis- How It Saved My Life!_' _how cheesy can you actually get. _'_Felix Felicis- The History.' ohhh _she thought, pulling a dusty, battered book from its holding place. '_Mixing Felix Felicis' I'll give that a try; that should definitely count as its uses,_ she inwardly pondered as she placed it with her other chosen book on the small table to the left of the bookshelf. Going back to the shelf, she skipped through a section dedicated to a man named Felix, apparently he had been the first person to ever successfully use the Lumos charm and had had something to do with the invention of it. _Must remember to read that… _she reminded herself. Coming across '_The Making of the Felix Felicis Luck Potion_' she decided that should just about explain the making in extensive detail, as it was a large tome styled book, which needed all of her strength to lift it all the way back to her seat. Collecting the other two she had selected, Hermione opened '_The Making of the Felix Felicis Luck _Potion' to the first page just as Daphne Greengrass walked into the library.

Like Hermione she also knew the library extremely well. Hermione had learnt this in her second year when they had first met. Ever since that year, the two had studied together, sharing their intellect and having meaningful conversations when the dull droning of Quidditch and cosmetics had become too much to handle. Noticing that the mousy girl was heading to the section Hermione had just raided, she decided to call her over.

"Hey Daph!" Hermione quietly called, in the effort not to disturb the librarian.

Smiling, Daphne began to walk over to Hermione, placed her bag on the floor and sat on the window perch, pulling her legs tightly underneath her body.

"Hey Mione, take it you ransacked the best Felix Felicis books huh?" she giggled, picking up '_Felix Felicis- The History'._

"You know me too well, want to help me take notes and we'll make copies? I have a feeling this book's gunna take me all day to read," She exclaimed, pointing to the large bulky worn book between her knees.

"Sure," Daphne chirped, beginning to read the book instantaneously. Hermione smiled at her enthusiasm, she was the Slytherin version of herself, and she was grateful for her friendship. If she had to sit around listening to Ron and Harry complain about not being able to complete the simplest of charms all day, she would surely be driven to insanity.

Reading through the first page of the opened book, she charmed another quill to mimic her movements on a separate piece of parchment- a charm she and Daphne had stumbled upon in fourth year. Daphne, who had also performed the charm, scribbled furiously onto her parchment, something Hermione had become accustomed to. While deep in thought, she would write maniacally in the hope to get down the most needed information, and parts that would gain them extra credit for understanding, another trait similar to Hermione, although she wrote slowly to ensure she took it all in. Hermione turned the pages carefully, yet read at a rapid speed, whilst Daphne read at an average speed. Unconsciously, the two girls would let out loud breaths and sighs, or brush stray hair behind their ear to keep their sight clear from anything other than the book. To anyone watching, they would most likely come to the conclusion that they had been separated at birth, due to the astonishing amount of similarities they have.

Within half an hour, Hermione had read three quarters of her book, while Daphne was just beginning to take notes on '_Mixing Felix Felicis_.' Small piles had now been generated from the thoroughness of the sixth years' labour. Hermione, who was now lying on her stomach and nibbling the end of her quill, was digesting every word and expanding on the meaning of each phrase. She was positive that if she was asked to take a test on how to create a successful luck potion right now, she would pass with flying colours.

Daphne delved into the second book, utter fascination could be easily gleaned from the look written on her features. She had no idea that mixing Felix Felicis could do any of the things intended that the book stated. _Thank Merlin for Hermione, I never would have given this a second glance_! she inwardly praised. Flicking each page over with just enough alertness of the books age to ensure the pages wouldn't tear, she continued to take notes in her aggressive manner.

Coming to the last page of the delightfully intriguing book, Hermione flicked her wand, causing the other quill to come to a halt and drop a top the parchment once she was positive that she'd finished her note taking. Pulling out two parchment ties from her bag, she rolled each pile up and secured them, before levitating the monstrous tome back to its home on the dingy and slightly rotten shelf. Returning to Daphne, who had also finished, she placed her three rolled parchments into her bag while Daphne carried her morning reads back to the 'F' section. She tucked the three leftover rolls into Daphne's bag.

She sat back onto the aged, yet comfortable, window seat and looked out over the beautiful Scottish landscape. Squinting slightly, she could see the first years taking part in their broom lessons. Hermione had, to this day, never disliked a lesson, apart from the '_wonderful' broom lessons they were forced to take part in. She flinched just thinking about the number of times she_'d fallen off and bruised her behind. Explaining to your mother why you constantly had a purple bruise covering your butt was not as easy as it sounded.

"So did you hear what happened to Crabbe and Goyle?" Daphne asked as she sat down, an extremely Slytherin smirk covering her usually stunning features.

"No?" Hermione answered, raising her eyebrow at the seemingly devious girl before her.

"Well, McGonagall gave them detention from eight until midnight every night for three months, and are only allowed the luxury of their wands during lessons. But dear old Draco didn't find this to be a suitable punishment. So he paid two highly hormonal fourth years to kick them as hard as they could between the legs. Dumb bastards didn't even expect it! Then he made them look and sound like little girls, having no wands and such means they have to stay like that until a Professor figures it out and has the heart to change them back. I haven't laughed so hard since Pansy accidentally shaved her eyebrow off and didn't notice!" Daphne guffawed. Her magnificently blue eyes echoed exactly just how humorous she had found it all.

Hermione giggled at the idea of Crabbe and Goyle looking like girls; that would definitely be a sight for sore eyes.

"They better be like that when I next see them, that would make my day," Hermione choked out, as she erupted into a fit of laughter as the thought of two newly hormonal girls taking their pent up anger out on Crabbe and Goyle's un-expecting testicals.

"Hopefully they won't be able to continue on the line of stupidity," she muttered, making Daphne squeal in delight.

"Oh my! I never even thought of that," she cried in Hermione's direction. Barely staying on her feet as she stood, Daphne reached over and hugged her friend.

"I'm going to meet Pansy before she has a bitch fit, 'til next time Miss Granger!" She winked.

"'Til next time Miss Greengrass" Hermione mockingly replied, bowing before her.

Giggling she watched as the raven haired girl left, only to be replaced by an infuriated looking Ron.

"Fraternising with the enemy are we?" he viciously barked. "Do you not realise they'd pay anything to see your head on a stick, or are you really that stupid! They're sly, plotting twats, why would you even want to associate yourself with such disgusting Death Eaters? I mean, here I am struggling with homework already and rather than helping your own kind, you're off giggling with people who think of you as nothing more than a Mudblood! You want to know something though? Filth like you, whoring yourself out to Death Eater scum, don't deserve to be in Gryffindor!" He sneered, face contorted in pure rage, red to his roots and fists clenched by his sides as he slowly and tormenting stepped towards her, as a predator would do to its prey.

As his words sunk in, the fact that her own '_best friend_' thought that of her, she grabbed her belongings and ran from the Library, tears flowing down her face in utter devastation. Increasing her speed, she didn't even stop when she collided with a large group and heard her named being called out. A foggy glazing blocked her vision as she ran determinedly towards the common room. Flying up the stairs leading to the common room, she reached the Fat Lady after what seemed like forever. Muttering the password, she ignored the portrait's questioning and the gasps of her friends as she cleared the common room in a few long strides and climbed the stairs leading to her dorm.

Slamming the door forcefully behind her, she listened as Ginny sprinted towards the room. In no mood to talk to anyone, without thinking, she clambered onto Amato's back and kicked her legs, ushering for him to leave. Understanding her silent pleas, he flew straight out of the window at a bewildering speed, much to Hermione's dismay.

Screeching, she gripped tightly onto his golden feathers as he soared higher through the clear blue sky. Burying her head into the crook of his neck, she felt her heart beating at an alarming rate as she choked back the need to throw up. Fear overwhelmed her as it had done so all those years back when she'd had her first broom ride. The feeling of the wind flowing freely through her tangled locks and across her tear streaked face calmed the sorrow coursing through her veins. Curiosity took over her for a split second and she pried her eyes open and lifted her head slightly. They were now travelling at a slower, manageable pace above a large greyish-blue lake.

Dotted around was a glorious array of creatures and exotic looking flowers. A deer stood watching from below, obviously debating on whether to leave or continue to bask in the morning sunlight. As Amato began to descend, it made up its mind, and gracefully trotted to the far end of the field. Thumping softly onto the jade green, rain misted grass, Amato lowered himself to let Hermione slip from his back. Dropping to the ground, she forgot about the fear and hurt she had felt mere moments ago as she took in the captivating scenery. As winter was quickly approaching, the flowers were taking part in their last bloom. Walking quietly over to the vast amount of flowers, she traced her fingers over their silken petals, breathing in their aura. She could smell lavender, rosemary and cherry blossom all mixing to astound her senses and create a peaceful bliss. The smell that stood out the most to her was that of a lilac…

oooooo

"_Granny, I had a nightmare, can I sleep with you puh-lease?" a young Hermione asked her grandmother. _

"_Of course, petal," she cooed, opening her arms for the small child to be cradled in. _

"_I love you Granny," the four year old whispered, pressing her head onto the older woman's shoulder. _

"_I love you too, darling," she replied, stroking the long brown flow of hair that ran to her lower back. _

_Breathing in, Hermione inhaled the familiar scent of lilacs, comforting her into a dreamless sleep. _

oooooo

Hermione breathed deeply, oh how she had missed the smell of her grandmother's favourite perfume. Being in hospital for so long had resulted in her losing these indulgences, which saddened Hermione to no end.

Smiling, she ran her fingers back over the soft, velvety flowers. For so long she had neglected to pay attention to the little things in life, and now it was time to wake up and smell the roses.

Spinning on her heels, she let out a small chuckle as she watched Amato rolling in the dampened grass, a happy expression on his face. Noticing her watching, he stopped upside down, letting out a playful squeal, before jolting upright and crawling towards her, nudging her gently with his beak. Falling with a soft 'uwft', she let out another childish giggle, laying back and watching the sky. The warmth of Amato lying by her side lulled her into a deep train of thought.

_I wonder what Mum's doing right now… I remember when we used to spend all of our time together, cooking until the fire alarm wouldn't shut up, walking until we couldn't physically go any farther and had to phone dad to pick us up, or when we'd try to play around in the supermarket and break so many things that we'd get thrown ou_t.

_The year before I left for Hogwarts, when the doctors had told us I was so ill that no one should go in my room, except to bring me food, and Mum had snuck in with a plate of cookies and stayed home from work, watching movies in bed with me for two days straight. When dad had found out, he'd told her off but all we could do was giggle_.

_Christmas when I came home in fourth year, and me, Mum and Granny stood on the dining table, singing along to 'All I Want for Christmas is You' into our hairbrushes. When Dad brought Grandad home from the hospital and found us like that, it had felt so good to see him smiling after so long. It had was devastating when he had died at New Year, but he was finally happy. When Mum used to scream at him, saying he was going to make me obese from feeding me as much sugar as he could until I couldn't eat anything else. 'Live in the moment; worry about the effects later,' was what he used to always say, followed by his trademark wink. _

The sound of the deer running around the field, leaping and showing of its talents brought her back down to earth. The majestic animal galloped carelessly around, enjoying itself with no worries about the future, as if it had read Hermione's thoughts. Sighing contently, she searched her robe pockets, and pulled out '_A Midsummer Night's Dream_.' Setting her wand to alert her ten minutes before class would begin, she settled and began to read, the smell of the flowers having a calming effect on her.

oooooo

Draco shyly approached the gargoyle statue and muttered the password, stepping quickly onto the moving steps once he was granted entrance. Knocking on the door at the top of the stairs, he heard a soft voice call out 'Come in'.

Stepping through the large door, he smiled at the grinning Headmaster.

"Ahh Draco! How can I help you, dear boy?" he inquired, the knowing twinkle in his eyes that Draco had become accustomed to flickered brightly at him.

"Well Sir, I was just wondering if you could tell me how my mother's doing?" he asked, looking up from under his platinum fringe.

"She's doing very well; the Order members say she's a pleasure to stay with, and she's also given us a lot of useful information. If you would like to write to her, bring the letter to me and I will deliver them personally and bring back any replies. Also, you may go and stay with her during the Christmas break, if that is to your liking?" the Headmaster questioned. Draco nearly jumped for joy, but found the will to restrain himself.

"That's good to hear, and that would be wonderful, thank you," Draco replied, his pale lips pulled up into an angelic smile, revealing his small dimples at the corner of his lips. His silvery blue eyes shone from the news that his mother was happy and in good company.

"If what Mad-Eye told me is true, she was, along with Nymphadora, very drunk last night. They were apparently singing and dancing on the kitchen table for everyone!"

Dumbledore chortled. Letting out a whole hearted laugh, Draco basked in the idea of his mother being able to have fun without the fear of being beaten by Lucius.

"Sounds like she's having fun for once in her life! Oh and speaking of Christmas, Headmaster, where will I be staying?" Draco quizzed, looking at the wise old man perched on the edge of his desk.

"You may stay with your mother, or here at Hogwarts. Mr. Zabini will be staying; as you may be aware, he and his family are fairly neutral, therefore Mrs. Zabini wants to keep him in a safe environment, away from any involvements with the Dark side," he explained.

"If I stay at Hogwarts and visit my mother for a few days, will someone bring me back? And could Blaise come with me; he and my mother have always been very close," he asked, looking sceptically up at Dumbledore.

"I don't see why not, that can all be arranged. There are, of course, still a few months for us to sort everything out, so there is no need to worry." Draco nodded. "How are you finding the start of the year so far?"

Draco beamed as he began to rub his hands together eagerly. "Amazing so far, everyone seems to have matured slightly, so no one's commented on my mother's 'disappearance.'"

"Excellent. Any new friends so far?" Dumbledore pressed, winking at the now crimson red boy.

Draco laughed nervously. "Well, erm… sort of? I wouldn't say that we're friends, but I guess I'm on good terms with Hermione," Draco answered, suddenly finding his shoes very interesting.

"Ah yes, Miss Granger. I'll let you in on a little secret," at this, Draco looked up, intrigued by what he was about to be told. "When all Order members and students claimed you were following in your father's footsteps, she would argue that yes, you'd probably be branded with the Dark Mark, but not by your own decision. She was the only one that had faith in you. She had no reason to defend you, but she did- even against her own best friends."

Draco stared at the Professor in shock. _Hermione stuck up for… me? Even after how I treated her?_ Opening his mouth to voice his questions, he was stopped before the words could leave his mouth. "Sherbet Lemon?" Dumbledore offered, a small basket filled with the treat outstretched in his hand.

Taking one, Draco thanked him before placing the sherbet on his tongue. Closing his eyes, he allowed the sweet to dissolve completely, savouring the lemony flavour.

At the sound of the low tone of the bell signalling the beginning of break, Draco opened his eyes.

"I best be going, thank you, Sir" Draco smiled. With a wave of his hand he was gone.

oooooo

"Draco!" Daphne shouted as she watched him jog down the stairs towards the dungeons. When he made no indication of stopping, or even slowing, she ran as fast as she could towards him. "Blondey," she screeched as she came up behind him, making him skid to a halt.

"Shit, Daphne," he exclaimed, glaring at her. "Give me a heart attack why don't you?"

Muttering a quick apology, she looked at him sternly.

"I was wondering if you've seen Hermione. She must have put her quill into my bag accidentally after we'd finished studying. Ron walked in looking angry when I was leaving, so I carried on. But when I started walking back to give it her, she ran to the Gryffindor common rooms before I could catch her. I called out to her but she must have been in a hurry… so I thought maybe you've seen her?" Daphne smiled shyly, fidgeting with the quill that she now held in her hands.

"You study with her?" Draco interrogated, raising an eyebrow at his housemate.

"Yes, I have done since second year. But back to my question, have you seen her or not?" She pondered once again, huffing with frustration as she began to grow impatient.

"Nope, sorry Daph!" he stated, turning and continuing on his way back to the common room. Muttering in defeat, Daphne pocketed the quill and started in the direction she hoped Pansy would be.

oooooo

Ginny stood at the window, staring of into the blue sky when she had last seen a distraught Hermione. Sighing, she walked out of the room and sat on the welcoming sofa that was just screaming for her to sit down.

"Has anyone seen Hermione?" Ron panted, as he pushed through the portrait. Instantly Ginny felt something click inside of her.

"What. Did. You. DO!" Ginny barked, standing to bring herself face to face with her older brother.

"What makes you think I did anything?" Ron mumbled, looking at the floor as guilt flooded his eyes, hoping for the life of him that she hadn't noticed. But, of course, she had.

"Maybe the fact that I've never seen you looking so guilty. Or it could be that you never look me in the eyes when you're lying!" Ginny screamed in his face. "Now answer my question. What did you do!" At the malicious look in her eyes, Ron began to distance himself from the redhead.

"Well," he began, letting out a nervous laugh, "I watched her studying and laughing with Greengrass, a fucking Slytherin! So yeah, I lost my calm, can you blame me?" he snapped.

"Oh yeah, big deal. Hermione's a big girl now Ron, she can talk to who the hell she wants," Ginny growled.

"NO! That's not right! Everyone knows that Slytherin' are Death Eater's, like I told her!"

"What else did you tell her Ronald?" Ginny questioned.

"That she was fraternising with the enemy, which is true! And that they'd pay to see her head on a stick," Ron answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Stop lying! Hermione would never lose her cool over something so simple, something she's told everyday!" Ginny said, disbelief layered thick in her voice.

"Okay… I said she was whoring herself out and didn't deserve to be in Gryffindor." Before he had a chance to brace himself, Ginny's hand had connected with his left cheek, a sharp noise echoing through the seemingly empty room.

"You fucking pig! I know one thing: the Slytherin's deserve her friendship more than you do! I hope she never forgives you. I'm telling Mum," she spat, before exiting the common room for her dorm and leaving a bewildered Ron stood cradling his red and stinging cheek.

oooooo

After spending almost three hours in the peaceful solitude of the empty area, Hermione grunted at the sound of her wand alerting her she now had ten minutes to get to her lesson. Putting her book back into her robe pocket after marking her page, Hermione pulled her bag strap securely over her head and onto her shoulder. Tapping Amato, she eyed him as he sleepily pried his eyes open. He had apparently spent the afternoon napping. Hermione chuckled at the thought.

"Come on boy, lesson soon- back to school we go," She mumbled unhappily, hauling herself up and onto his back. "Not so fast this time, I haven't eaten enough to be chucking," she reminded her faithful companion. Cooing in acceptance, he waited until she was seated securely before breaking into a run down the long stretch of grass, pushing himself of off the ground at the last minute. Hermione held her breath and clung tightly to his body and (as) they ascended into the sky. Looking through a squinted eye, she realised that they were not far from the Forbidden Forest. "Take me to Hagrid's hut, please," she commanded politely, raising her voice slightly in the hope that he heard her. Clearing the forest's tall trees, she knew he had heard her as they dropped closer to the ground as each second passed.

"Go eat! Thank you Amato," she softly told him once they were safely back on the ground, before sprinting of to the castle, heading straight for the right Middle Courtyard. Catching her breath at the end of the corridor, she straightened her uniform before slowly approaching the door. With each step she felt her anger increase slightly. _How dare he say I'm whoring myself out! I'm a bloody virgin, I've only ever kissed Krum and that was hardly as satisfying as I expected it to be. He's such an idiot, all I'm good for in his eyes is to do his homework. I have enough problems without having to deal with him. He can go to hell! _she concluded as she reached the tall brown door. Stretching out her arm to grasp the door knob, she heard a calm, friendly voice calling out to her. Turning around, she observed as a flustered looking Daphne jogging over to her.

"I've been looking everywhere for you! Here," she said, handing over Hermione's quill, "I think you must have put it in my bag by accident." Daphne smiled.

"You're a lifesaver!" Hermione praised, wrapping her arms around her forbidden friend.

"Come on, best get in," Hermione added, taking her arms from the embrace and opening the door.

Choosing a fairly secluded table, Hermione sat down, took out her equipment supplies and Transfiguration book from her bag, then set her satchel down under the table.

Harry and Neville both stared at their distant friend, unnoticed by her, as Ron walked into the room, sporting a rather large handprint on his face. Their focus was dropped from Hermione and aimed at Ron. Throwing himself into the seat between the two boys, he jammed his bag down in a similar aggressive fashion, then placed his head into his hands and leant against the table on his elbows.

"It's that noticeable, huh," Ron muttered through his hands.

"What on earth happened to you?" Neville pressed with genuine concern for his friend.

"I lost it at Hermione. She was being all chummy with Greengrass, so I said she was whoring herself out and wasn't worthy of being a Gryffindor. She ran away crying so Ginny slapped me," he replied dryly.

"Poor Hermione! You're an idiot, Weasley," Neville spat, all of the concern that had been present a moment ago, gone. Grasping for his bag under the table, Neville quickly stood, taking himself over to sit with Hermione, who smiled radiantly up at the bubbly boy.

"Did Neville just call me Weasley?" Ron stuttered in disbelief, removing his hands from his face to look over to Neville.

"Yes, and you deserved it. As well as the slap. I think I'll have to punch you before I'm okay with you," Harry answered, staring angrily at Ron as Professor McGonagall entered the classroom.

The voice of her favourite teacher drowned out her worries as she explained what was expected of them in today's lesson.

"Now, I will be placing you into pairs, any complaints and you will lose ten points from your house," the Professor warned, before continuing on to address who was working with who.

"Mr. Potter and Miss Parkinson.

"Miss Abbot with Mr. Weasley.

"Mr. Longbottom and… Miss Greengrass.

"Miss Bones with Mr. Malfoy.

"Miss Dunbar and Mr. Nott.

"Mr. Zabini and Miss Granger." As she continued to pair the rest of the class, Hermione smiled wearily at Neville. "Seat yourself with your partner and begin immediately," McGonagall explained, folding up the parchment she had just read from.

Everyone began to move to sit with their allocated partner. As Hermione moved to stand, she heard a low voice speak from behind her.

"Unlike some, I am a gentleman. Sit back down Granger," Blaise stated as he sat in the seat Neville had occupied moments ago.

Smiling shyly, she nodded to the dark, muscular boy seated beside her.

"I heard about Crabbe and Goyle. They are such idiots, I apologise on their behalf. Contrary to popular belief, we Slytherin's aren't all as bad as we seem," he smirked, as he noted down what had been written on the board.

"Thank you Zabini, that means a lot. Apart from those two, I have no problem with the Slytherin's. I have been extremely close to one since second year," Hermione informed him, as she also jotted down the needed information.

"Who would have thought the princess had a rebellious side!" Blaise mocked, his smirk growing.

"Shut up," Hermione giggled, beginning their work.

"So your roommates with that Weasley girl aren't you?" Blaise inquired as they neared the end of the lesson.

"Ginny? Yeh, why do you ask?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Observation really… I do feel sorry for her though. Being related to Fred and George would be awesome, but Ronald? I don't know how she does it!" Blaise told her.

"Urgh, don't mention the prick," Hermione blurted out before she could stop herself. Bringing her hand up to her face she felt her cheeks and ears heat up, meaning she was blushing irrevocably.

"Now you're going to explain exactly why you think such things, Princess," Blaise said, shooting a sincerely friendly smile in her direction. Bringing his arm over her shoulder, he side glanced at Draco who was now staring at him with murder in his eyes. _You'll thank me later…_

Before she could stop herself, Hermione explained exactly what had happened in the library just hours previous to the lesson. Sighing when she'd finished, she gloomily looked up to find Blaise sitting with his mouth wide open. Noticing her watching, he regained his composure and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before removing his arm.

"You deserve to be a Gryffindork more than anybody else! You're beyond brave, and you have the courage to not judge people. And studying with Daph is hardly whoring yourself out. In my opinion, it's better that you study with her than serving as his personal slave. You're better than that, you don't judge people by their parents, pasts, or what house they're in. You're a better person then many others could give themselves credit for, Hermione," Blaise finished, recovering his bag as the bell sounded, and walked away with a wave. Hermione sat thinking about how everything he had just said was true for several moments. Putting her bag over her shoulder she left for Herbology, spending the lesson in a trance.

oooooo

Leaving Herbology, Hermione began to walk to the library to collect a book for the assignment they had just been set, when her stomach began to rumble. _I've eaten just a biscuit over the course of two days, to the kitchennnns_! she inwardly sang, changing the direction she was walking.

Tickling the pear once she reached the portrait, she breathed in the smell of expertly cooked food as she entered the kitchens.

"Miss Hermione! What's can Winky be doing for yous today?" Winky asked her sweetly, appearing at her knees.

"Hi Winky, can I have something to eat? I can't get to dinner today…" She began, but didn't need to finish as the elf began to drag her to the large island in the middle of the room.

"Sit," the elf happily squealed, then turned and ran to the other side of the room as Hermione perched herself on the kitchen stool.

A moment later, a plate full of a roast dinner was thrust in front of her. Thanking the elf, who bowed before scurrying of to finish preparing the evening meal, she began to eat.

Savouring the taste of the succulently juicy chicken and thick beef flavoured gravy, she chewed hurriedly. It felt as if she hadn't eaten in months, let alone a day. Bringing a forkful of mashed potatoes to her lips, she wrapped her moist lips around the fork before pulling it away. Taking in the texture of the softened food, she rolled it around gently on her tongue, taking in how it was completely lump-less and rolled easily around her mouth. Sighing in utter satisfaction, she swallowed the food, before devouring the rest of her meal. Dabbing at her mouth with a napkin, she jumped down from her chair and thanked the house elves before heading blissfully to the library with a slight spring in her step.

oooooo

"You were getting awfully friendly in Transfiguration," Draco sneered, as he and Blaise were the last to leave the Greenhouses, walking across the grass back up to the Castle.

"Don't get your silken knickers in a twist, I found out some valuable information for you my dear friend!" Blaise excitedly exclaimed. Raising an eyebrow Draco smirked widely.

"I'm all ears."

"So, Hermione and Daphne were studying in the library after Potions this morning, which they've been doing since second year apparently. Well, after Daphne left, Weasley appeared. Started screaming that we're all Death Eaters who want her head on a stick and such. Which didn't bother her, you know Granger; she doesn't let anyone judge people for her. But, then he says she's whoring herself out to us and doesn't deserve to be a Gryffindor! Just because she wasn't around to do his homework. So she spent two hours crying, off in a field somewhere. Seriously though, she didn't deserve what he said," Blaise explained, sighing at the revelation that her '_best friend' _was a prick.

Next to him, Draco had clenched his fists and was slightly red from rage.

"Who does he think he is? Calling her that just because he's an incompetent fool who can't complete a single task on his own! I'm going to kill him," Draco growled, looking around for a particular redheaded boy. The feeling of his friends hand on his shoulder calmed his anger slightly.

"Don't worry, Weaselette already slapped him, Longbottom even snapped at him! Oh and Potter had a pop at him just as they left class," Blaise reassured him. "Never thought I'd say this, but Granger's alright. Had me in stitches all lesson. How was Bones, aye?" he winked.

"Get fucked," Draco drawled, playfully punching his friend.

oooooo

Returning to her dorm, Hermione placed the book she'd just got from the library on her bedside table. Humming quietly she emptied her bag onto her bed. Taking everything she wouldn't need, she bundled them in her arms, intending to put them onto her desk. But as she turned around, she jumped in shock and dropped her belongings at the site of Omorfos staring quizzically at her from her desk.

"Merlin," she muttered, making her way over to the owl. Hermione stroked him with caution. Like Amato, he pressed his head into her palm, but he seemed to be begging for more attention, obviously unhappy with the lack of trying on her half. Letting out a toothy grin, she added more pressure to the attention-seeking owl.

"Happy now?" she joked, untying the letter attached to his leg. Hooting in answer to her question the owl eyed her in anticipation. "Fatty" she mumbled, taking a few owl treats from her drawer and handing them to the owl. Observing as he ate, never before had she seen an owl as gentle and graceful as this. He ate slowly, leaving no mess behind, before flying off into the dusk light of the evening sky.

Looking at her as if she'd betrayed him, Amato let out a sound similar to an indignant huff before flying out of her window as quickly as he could. Running over to the window he'd just departed through, she yelled out after him. "Jealousy gets you nowhere, you know!"

Laughing softly, she took the letter she still held in her hand and placed it in the top drawer of her desk which was still open from when she had taken out the owl treat. _I'll read you _later she inwardly promised the letter, pushing the drawer closed.

Opening the door, she listened as people began to leave for dinner and decided now was the perfect time to write her father a proper letter. Closing the door she took the letter her father had sent that morning along with the cookies and seated herself at her desk. Biting into a soft chocolate chip cookie, she began to write with a purpose.

oooooo

"Has Hermione given up eating or something?" Harry asked, staring at the empty seat besides Ginny.

"Oh, no, Harry, she just can't stand to be around that twat." Ginny smiled sarcastically, pointing her head towards Ron as she shovelled a forkful of chicken into her mouth. "I went down to the kitchen after last lesson to ask the elves if they'd seen her, and I saw her eating, so I left her to it," she added, before turning to engage in a conversation her fellow fifth years were having.

Rolling his eyes at his sister's hostility, Ron was unaware of Pig sitting in his dinner.

"Er Ron…You've got a Howler from your mum" Harry murmured, staring at the owl, scared.

"Shit," Ron grumbled, picking up the letter.

oooooo

Pleased with the outcome of her letter, Hermione placed it into an envelope and attached it to the owl that was once again perched on Ginny's desk. Telling it where to go, she grabbed her cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders before heading to the Prefects meeting.

oooooo

"This is Katie Bell and Eddie Carmichael. They are Head Girl and Boy, therefore you may report to them with any problems. As you probably all know, as Prefects, you are permitted to use the Prefects bathroom on the fifth floor behind the fourth door to the left of a statue of Boris the Bewildered. The password is 'Aqua Armarium' which is Latin for water closet. Now, you are expected to set an example for the other students, failure to do so will result in the loss of your Prefect badge.

"You are expected to take part in all of your patrols unless you are ill or have been given permission otherwise, so I suggest all homework and assignments be completed in free periods as soon as possible. Head Boy and Girl will patrol every Sunday, while you will all have a route with the seventh year Prefects. One week will be the sixth years, the next week the seventh years. You must be present from nine thirty until midnight. During this time all students should be in their common rooms and it is your duty to make sure of this, and be alert of any other problems. During the day it would be of a great help if you assist in keeping the peace throughout corridors. Now enough with the boring bits, I have something important for you all to assist with which I believe you will be very interested in," McGonagall explained with a clap of her hands. All eyes were on her. "For Halloween we will be having a party for all years which you will organise. It will be held in the Great Hall on Friday the 1st of November, from eight pm until one am. For fourth year and below, they must be back in their dorms by midnight. Butter beer will be available for fifth years and above. Now I have paired you all and chose you a suitable couple to portray for the night. The theme is famous Muggle couples throughout history. I have paired you to try and promote inter-house unity. Now I will tell you who are partnered together and who you will be dressed as.

"Fay and Michael, you will be dressed as Pocahontas and John Smith." With a flick of her wand, a picture of the couple and their name appeared before both of them.

"Tracey and Ernie, Napoleon and Josephine." Flick.

"Luna and Blaise, Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler." Flick.

"Hannah and Neville, Orpheus and Eurydice." Flick.

"Susan and Terry, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert." Flick.

"Hermione and Draco, Cleopatra and Mark Anthony," with a final flick of her wand everyone had a picture of a famous Muggle couple in front of them. Hermione stared in awe; she loved Cleopatra and would do everything in her nature to make herself look like the woman.

"Now as you may have noticed, the person you are paired with is your Prefect buddy. The next meeting, where you will begin to plan, is Sunday after dinner in this room. That will be all," she informed them, as she left the room. Standing up to leave, Hermione tucked the photo safely into her pocket.

"Her-mioneeeeee" a sing-song voice called out to her. Turning around she laughed as she found Draco and Blaise grinning. "Well, my little Cleopatra, Mr. Zabini and I were wondering if you'd do us the pleasure of studying with us on Wednesday and Thursday nights at half past eight? We believe your presence would be extremely gratifying," Draco joked, winking at her. Hermione sniggered at him.

"I guess I could, it would make a change from 'studying' with people who took all of the same lessons as me just to copy my work," she answered looking between the two boys; they were very similar to one another. They were the same height, seemed to be as muscular as each other, the only obvious differences would be that everything on Blaise was ten shades darker and his lips were slightly more plumped.

"See you there then princess," Draco said, turning to leave. Watching as Blaise left he stopped and turned back to Hermione and pulled her into a strong yet gentle embrace.

"I hope your okay now, Hermione," he whispered into her hair, sending tingles down her spine. Hugging him back, she felt slightly unhappy when he pulled away and the cold reached her body once more, sucking away the warmth he'd just given to her. "Erm, see you later," he spoke softly, as if unsure whether to break the moment or not. Nodding she smiled up at him. Looking deep into the alluring silvery blue orbs that bored into her own, she felt the sudden need to grab him and never let go, but pushed the feeling down deep inside of her. As he left, he smiled widely at her, making Hermione feel weak at the knees. _Oh Merlin, _she said to herself_, I think I'm falling for Draco Malfoy… _she told herself as she wobbly made her way back to the Gryffindor common room, a bittersweet smile slapped on her face.

oooooo

Amato now sat on Hermione's bed, looking moodily up at her. Hermione walked over to him and leant her head against his, petting his luscious golden feathers where they met velvet soft fur.

"I want to go back to that field Amato, can you take me?" She pleaded, removing her head from his to look him in his beautiful glittering eyes. Standing and dragging himself idly from the bed, she knew he was willing to take her. Quickly taking out the letter from her drawer, she wrapped a thick scarf around her neck and pulled her winter coat over her outdoor cloak. Smiling at the now excited creature, she seated herself on his back and gripped onto his neck.

This time when he left her room, she felt at peace with the world. Fear was an unknown emotion to her at this moment in time. Giggling from pure joy, she threw her head back and watched the magnificent stars shine brightly down, out-doing the moon on this particular night. The dark blue sky looked like a welcoming blanket, shielding the stars from the bitter winds in a motherly way. Peering down, she watched as the field came into eye sight, the grass flowing in the wind, the flowers dancing with one another. For the first time in her life, she appreciated how truly beautiful the world she lived in was.

Lying under the wing of Amato, like a mask from the wind, she tore into the envelope she had fished out of her pocket and began to read…

* * *

><p><em><strong>okayokay, gotta thank my amazing reviewers now ;p <strong>_

_**FlowerAngelxoxo- your gunna figure out what's up with her mum in later chapters, the whole not speaking is a HUGE part of the story :-) I choose to have her arguing with Ron for another reason that your gunna find out later aswell :p MWAHA! that bit was just for you princess ;D awrh thanks darling :') x**_

**_Anonymous_**_**- I hate Ron, as you can probably tell... thankyou!:)**_

_**Mrs. Theodore Nott- thats what i wanted it to look like, as if shes being overdramatic but really he's provoking her to do it... **_

_**mermaidlover101- hehe awrh thankyou so much!:') **_

_**night23- hehe thankyou, the good grammar and spelling is all thanks to A Rogue Without Her Remy ;) **_

_**marmia days- so do I! and same. **_

_**JustAGirl101- hehe awth thankyou!:') **_

_**BelleBelles- I hope you liked the punishment they received ) I hate him with a passion, I haven't a clue why :L I'm glad you liked it :') **_

_**Brandi Moore- Awrh thankyou!:-)**_

_**indigo flower 94- awrh i'm glad :'D thankyou so much, your review made me really smile :') **_

_**Thanks to all my alerters and favouriters, until next time ;p **_


	9. dreams

**I'm beyondddd sorry for how long this has took me to do, I'm in the middle of moving and don't have the internet so trying to get this chapter up has been hell. It is quite short, but enjoy ;) **

'_Hermy,_

_I saw you with that Griffin yesterday. I mean, wow. Personally, I nearly shit myself when it flew down from the roof, but seeing the look on your face made it all worthwhile. Your smile was utterly bewitching, I couldn't bring myself to look away, and that NEVER happens to me. _

_Beauty captures the eyes, the personality captures the heart. Every time I look at you, it's as if my heart's skipped a beat, it's like gazing into the eyes of an angel. Then, knowing just how captivating your personality is makes my heart stop. _

_I hope you're enjoying the start of term; personally I'm a bit unhappy. I left my stash of chocolate at home and I'm already having withdrawals. I have the worst sweet tooth ever; I can't wait for the first Hogsmeade weekend. I'm going to be raiding Honeydukes._

_I don't know about you, but I hate this new curfew. I loved being able to just walk around at night and watch the stars in the sky. Yeh it's for safety, so in the long run I'll supposedly benefit from it, but I can't help but feel put out about it. The feeling of the wind blowing through your hair as you walk along the shore of a moonlit lake, the sound of the crickets and the leaves rustling in the trees, it's gotta be one of my favourite things about Hogwarts!_

_I heard about everything happening with Ron lately, I feel the need to pound him to a pulp whenever I see his obnoxious face... _

_I spoke to Dumbledore this morning. My mother's been entertaining her guards. It feels great to know that, for once, she doesn't have to worry about anything apart from enjoying herself. Living in fear for the majority of her life and never being allowed to do anything for herself was really starting to show, so I'm really excited to see her at Christmas. _

_I remember when I was younger; she'd sneak me out of the house and take me to a Muggle sweet shop in London. It was huge. I've never seen another place like it since! I guess that's where I got my sweet tooth from; my mother always had cravings for sugar. We'd spend hours looking through the shop, sampling everything sometimes more than once! Then we would buy as much as we could carry back. The only room my father wouldn't set foot in was the library, so we'd hide it in the drawers there. Reading a book surrounded by every kind of sweet you could imagine was pure heaven! He found out, once, that we were hiding treats; he had gone into the library to look for a book, something that never happened, and had opened a drawer. Sweets had gone everywhere. He screamed at us for what seemed like forever, telling us how we were forbidden from eating anything so 'disgusting' again. Seriously, all over having sweets! Sometimes we would go shopping out in France while my father was at meetings and we'd go to their local delicacy shops. We'd eat until we thought we were going to explode. _

_I think that's the only time I saw my mother ever truly smile; in front of my father she'd have to pretend she was an emotionless bore. _

_She also told me that I could only fall in love once, and she would always be my one true love... She was lying though. _

_Every time I hear your voice, I fall in love all over again. _

_X'_

oooooo

_The feeling of the cool silk underneath Hermione's bare back sent chills down her spine as the cold attacked her from every possible angle. Softly, a warm muscular body pressed against hers, as a delicate hand affectionately brushed her brown mane from her face. Her eyes pressed tightly closed, she could feel his humid and laboured breath against her skin, which surprisingly matched her own. Taking her hands from her side, she brushed them up the strong arms which were now placed on either side of her face. Sweat met her fingers, along with shivers erupting from his body at the feeling of her light touches. Hermione continued with her journey, caressing the wide shoulders which were mere centimetres from her own. They were closer then she had expected, and the idea excited her, causing her lips to turn upwards into a bittersweet smile. Lacing her fingers through his shaggy, flowing hair, she stilled herself as she anticipated his next move. In one swift yet graceful move, his lips were pressed against hers, moving in soft, fluent movements with hers. The smell of jasmine, musk, and peppermint overwhelmed her senses causing a small moan to escape her lips. At the opening of her lips, his tongue traced hers asking for permission, as another soft, barely auditable moan left her mouth, inviting his tongue to join hers. Bringing her tongue to meet his, Hermione let them dance with one another, each exploring the deep caverns of their partner's mouth. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as he brought his hand up to her left breast, gently kneading it in his hands. Hermione gasped for breath, before arching her back. As their pelvis's met, she heard a husky moan leave his lips, as his hardened member pressed against her damp, aching core. His now dripping platinum hair stuck to her forehead as she pulled her legs around his hips, begging him to get closer. Hermione was in heaven, never had she thought it would be possible to feel like this, beyond pleasure. His lips lingered on hers as he began to slow, causing her to open her eyes._

_Staring back at her, filled with lust, was a pair of silvery blue eyes. _

Hermione jolted upright in her bed, panting and covered in sweat. _Shit, now I'm fantasising about Draco Malfoy, how peachy. _She confessed inwardly, shaking her head. _That was wayyyy to vivid..._

oooooo

Draco awoke suddenly, a large grin on his face. He had just had the same dream as Hermione.

Sure, he had dreamt about her before, but never in this sort of way. Normally, he would picture a future with her, or he'd be sitting with her in the library watching her divert all of her attention to the book in front of her. For someone who had never even been kissed before, this was all very new and ultimately engrossing for him. As he struggled to regain his breath, he wiped the sweat from his head with one hand, and threw his bed sheet off with the other before pushing his hair back from his sweaty face. Looking down, he quickly pulled the covers back over himself. _Cold shower it is then... _he told himself, standing from his bed and thanking Merlin that Blaise was still asleep.

oooooo

Hermione twirled a stray piece of hair between her fingers as she read _Hogwarts, a History _for what must have been the thousandth time. She was in a lovely mood after last night. When she had read the letter, she and Amato had walked along the side of a small brook, listening to the sounds of the night, only returning when Hermione began to fall asleep. The dream was still fresh in her mind, but she was choosing to not think about it. The Gryffindors were all long gone; Ginny had left for breakfast with Harry and Ron half an hour ago. As she had a free period to start the day, she had chosen to stay in the common room and read her favourite book. Her legs were spread down the length of the couch she was lying atop, head perched on the armrest. She suddenly felt her legs being lifted. Looking up, she smiled when she saw Dean Thomas place her legs over his lap. She stuck a placemarker in her book, set it on the floor, and turned to look at her friend whom she hadn't really spoken to since the end of fifth year.

"Hey Dean," she greeted amicably.

"'Ello Mione!" he answered happily, "You know, you can carry on reading. I don't want to bore you," Dean joked, winking at her.

"I think I'd rather speak to you," Hermione replied, matter-of factly.

"Merlin above, I missed you!" Dean all but shouted, as he grabbed Hermione and hugged her in brotherly fashion.

Hugging him back, Hermione let out a chuckle. "I missed you too Dean. You've gotten taller," she pointed out, raising her eyebrow at the tall, muscled boy.

"You know you find my tallness great. I'm all protective and... Stuff" Dean laughed. Hermione slapped him on the shoulder jokingly.

"Get a girlfriend Dean," Hermione teased, giggling. "So how come you aren't at breakfast?" she questioned.

"I saw you sitting here so I thought I'd talk to you. I'm not particularly hungry anyway," he shrugged.

"Did I ever tell you how amazing you are?" she beamed, and she leant her head on his shoulder, legs still spread on his lap.

"Can't say you have, but you should definitely start," Dean mocked.

"Shut up," Hermione teased, letting out a yawn.

"Only Neville's coming back here after breakfast, sleep little one," Dean whispered softly.

"Thanks Dean," Hermione murmured as she closed her eyes, falling to sleep almost instantly.

"Dean, have you seen Hermione?" Harry asked, walking into the common room with Neville.  
>Putting his finger to his lip, Dean pointed with his other hand to the sleeping bundle which was now nestled upon his lap.<p>

"Wake her up would you," Harry not-so-politely commanded.

"No! I know what you want, Harry. Neville told me. If she wants to talk to Slytherins, she can. There's nothing wrong with that. Ron doesn't need to get involved. Even if we are mates. The next time he says something like that, I'll be the first one to deal with it." Dean answered quietly, looking back down at Hermione.

"I just want to try and put what he did straight, so wake her up," Harry explained.

"Once again, no. This is for Ron to sort out, not you. Plus, she's going through a lot lately, so she doesn't need this," Dean growled, sneering in Harry's direction, making both Harry and Neville take a step back. Dean was well known for being an easy-going person, so both of the boys had rarely seen him with any expression other than a smile on his face.

"Okay," Harry muttered, walking back out of the room.

"Is she okay?" Neville quizzed, bending in front of his friend and pushing the hair from Hermione's face.

"Yeh, just tired," Dean smiled, quickly mending his temper.

Neville smiled as he sat in the empty space and picked up Hermione's book. "How she finds this interesting is beyond me," he exclaimed with a shake of his head.

oooooo

Hermione walked into Arithmancy with her head down. Draco was in this class, and she knew as soon as her eyes met his that she'd turn a lovely shade of red. She had no idea how she was going to make it through an entire night studying by his side, the intoxicating smell of jasmine, musk, and peppermint attacking her senses... Hermione shook the thought from her head, that train of thought was definitely not going to help get rid of the memory of her dream.

The fact that she was back in her favourite class settled her thoughts, and she caught sight of Professor Vector who smiled widely at her. Pulling out her copy of _Numerology and Grammatica_,she settled into her seat and waited for the lesson to begin. As usual she was sitting on her own, which she much preferred for the lessons that required more of her attention. Once the Professor began to explain what today's lesson was about, Hermione started to rapidly take notes, all previous thoughts banished from her mind.

oooooo

"So, you're saying you had a wet dream over Granger for the first time last night?" Blaise asked, looking intently at his friend.

"Yeh, I've honestly never had one before..." Draco shrugged, thinking nothing of it.

"You're practically as chaste as they get mate," he mocked.

"I just prefer not to get around. Unlike _some _people," Draco smirked pointedly. Blaise shot him a poisonous look as he pulled out his textbook.

"Sleeping with one person is hardly getting around, though is it?" Blaise began to justify as Hermione walked into the classroom. "Ahh, speak of the devil! Our little lioness is awfully shy today isn't she?" he pointed out, as he witnessed her cheeks turn a light shade of pink while she stared at the floor intently.

"She's not _our _lioness, okay? But yeh, you'd think she was the one having the wet dreams," Draco mumbled, as realisation dawned on him, a large grin spreading across his face.

"Something like that," Blaise mused.

oooooo

Pacing down the empty corridor, Hermione listened to the patter of her own feet echoing around her. After Arithmancy, she had chosen to stay on the seventh floor; enjoying the soothing silence all around her while patiently awaiting the start of Herbology. Coming to the entrance of the North Wing, Hermione decided to take a peek, as it looked almost empty.

Picking out a book at random from the bookshelves lining the walls, she found a wide chaise lounge made of brown suede. Fluffing up the pillow, she lay on her side and began to read. _The Tales Of Beedle The Bard; The Wizard And The Hopping Pot._

oooooo

Shuffling lazily along, Hermione reread the tale of The Wizard and The Hopping Pot in her head. Once again she was heading towards the kitchens, as she wasn't planning on eating with everyone else at dinner. As she reached the fruit portrait, she tickled the pear and walked in, to be greeted by Dobby.

"Dobby! Hi!" Hermione greeted the elf, getting down onto her knees to hug him.

"It be's a pleasure to see yous, Miss Hermione," Dobby replied. "Hows may I help yous?" he asked her sweetly.

"Could I have my dinner early? I don't want to eat in the Great Hall tonight," Hermione requested.

"O o o! Miss Hermione can be making cookies with Dobby!" Dobby told her excitedly.

"Sure," she confirmed, following the animated elf over to one of the long counters along the sides of the kitchen.

"We be mixing these together Miss Hermione, Dobby will help," he explained, handing over a bag of flour, which accidentally exploded when Hermione grasped it.

"Shit," Hermione chuckled, as Dobby frantically ran around the mess. "Dobby, it's okay; mess makes everything better!"

"Are you being sure?" Dobby asked, unsure.

"Yes, now come on," Hermione demanded, pouring flour into a mixing bowl.

By the time the cookies reached the oven, the kitchen was covered in flour, butter, sugar, eggs and chocolate chips. Dobby took out a plate, and with a snap of his fingers it had a small portion of fish and chips atop. Hermione licked her lips and began to consume the meal in front of her. Once she had eaten every speck of food on the plate, she watched Dobby take the large cookies from the oven, the smell of chocolate and vanilla filled the room, exciting Hermione's taste buds all over again.

"Dobby wrap them up for you to take, Miss Hermione?" Dobby asked quietly, gesturing to the baked goods.

"Please Dobby," she beamed.

"Dobby can clean the mess," as he went to snap his fingers, Hermione shook her head.

"I'd rather stay like this, cleaning up takes the fun out of cooking," she stated, grinning at the shocked house elf.

"If you wish..." he murmured, handing over the wrapped cookies, and giving her one to eat now.

"Glass of milk?"

Hermione nodded her head, with a click of his fingers, two glasses of milk appeared before them. Dobby seated himself by Hermione and dunked his own cookie into the glass, taking the smallest of bites. Smiling, he motioned for Hermione to do the same.

Eating their cookies, he and Hermione began to talk about anything and everything until the bell rang out.

"Oh, I best be going Dobby. I had fun today, thank you," she said lovingly.

"Please be coming back soon Miss Hermione, Dobby loves when you visit," he replied, hugging her middle softly. Waving, she picked up the cookies and left the kitchens, the ingredients covering her from head to toe momentarily forgotten.

oooooo

"Erm, Hermione... what's happened to you?" a voice asked suspiciously from behind her as she exited the fruit portrait. Jumping, she turned around quickly, only to find Blaise and Draco staring curiously at her. Hoping that the ingredients hid her crimson red face, she smiled and held up the bundle in her hands.

"I made cookies with Dobby," she informed them, as the smell of warm chocolate and vanilla wafted their way.

"Why didn't you ask him to clean you... can I have one of them? They smell amazing!" Draco exclaimed, breathing deeply. The flour had, in fact, covered her red face, leaving him unaware of her embarrassment.

"I'll bring them later, if you still want me to study with you? And I asked him not to clean me, the mess is the best part, aside from the cookies themselves of course," Hermione claimed.

"Yeh, yeh, later... why aren't you going to dinner?" Draco asked, shaking his head from all thoughts cookie related.

"I just... er, I just don't want to eat? Plus Dobby just made me some food, so I think I'll just go to my room and get cleaned up," Hermione hinted, turning to leave.

"Half past eight princess, don't be late," Draco winked while walking away.

"I wouldn't have thought flour could look that good on a person," Blaise admitted, shrugging his shoulders as he walked off to join his friend. "I think I just got a boner, I'm now imagining licking food off of someone." Blaise muttered in Draco's ear as he reached his side.

"Control yourself, Zabini," Draco growled.

oooooo

"So basically, he kept asking you out, so you shrunk his... ya know?" Blaise questioned sceptically.

"No, I wouldn't just shrink someone for that. He wouldn't stop sending me ridiculously childish chat up lines while I was trying to read. Paper planes were flying from every direction smacking me in the face; I only lost it when one hit me in the eye. When I walked over to him, he thought he was getting lucky. He thinks he's this irresistible guy, but really he's actually revolting in pretty much every way," Hermione replied, taking a bite from the still-warm cookie.

"Pansy said it's really hard to see," Draco announced. Hermione spat cookie across the library desk, as Blaise nodded in agreement with what had just been said.

"How would Parkinson know?" Hermione chuckled.

"She's easy, she'll admit that. She wanted someone different apparently, and McLaggen was just there. She got him in a dark broom closet, they started to kiss, her hand goes down and bam. She walks straight out, with him running after her begging her to carry on. Told everyone she had to hunt about for a while to actually find it, gotta admit, it put me off my food for a week. I sort of pity the guy as well. Pans isn't exactly one to keep a secret," Draco finished. Hermione was now trying to hold her delicate laughter in, in the hope that the librarian wouldn't hear. She and Draco sat on the window seat, while Blaise had taken an armchair and made himself comfy.

"Yeh, we were all eating lunch and she walked in looking really boastful. Daphne made the mistake of asking her what had made her so happy. Next thing we know, we're being told about someone's dick while we're eating sausages," Blaise shivered at the mental image.

"I am seriously amazing," Hermione managed to choke out between her silent laughs.

"I'll agree with you on that one," Blaise smirked, picking up his Felix Felicis essay. "So six months to brew... banned in sports... disastrous if made slightly wrong... and dangerous in large quantities, I think I'm done." Blaise smiled, tucking his roll of parchment into his bag.

"Me too," Draco and Hermione added at the same time.

"It's only ten and I really don't fancy going back to the common room..." Hermione began.

"We're not done yet, princess, I'm quite enjoying this little get-together," Draco proclaimed. Hermione beamed up at him, meeting his large orbs and staring deeply into them as her face slowly changed colour. "Embarrassed?"

"Pardon?" Hermione blurted out, looking quickly away from him.

"You've gone red, so I asked if you were embarrassed," he voiced, inhaling the stimulating scent of cinnamon, vanilla, and cherries that was being radiated from Hermione.

"Oh no, I'm just... warm," Hermione quickly said, realising how stupid that sounded.

"Take your cloak of then," Blaise stated, looking at her in a bewildered fashion.

"Yeh, I didn't think of that..." Hermione muttered as she began to pull the thick garment off. The feeling of the harsh coldness hitting her skin made her want to shiver, but she couldn't show them that, so quickly smiled behind her gritted teeth.

"Better?" Blaise asked, smirking brightly as if he knew she was lying.

"Uhum," Hermione hissed, glaring at the dark skinned boy.

Draco glanced between the two, a look of utter confusion on his face. "So... wonderful weather we're having, huh?" he asked sarcastically. Hermione grabbed her side, erupting with tearful laughter.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Blaise questioned, staring horrifically at his completely mental best friend. "Where did the weather come into this?"

"I... like weather?" Draco blurted out, shrugging his shoulders as his usually pale complexion turned crimson. At the roll of Blaise's eyes, Draco reached over and playfully hit his shoulder, muttering a quick 'shut up.' For the next several hours, the three sat discussing anything that came to mind, no matter how bizarre or utterly insane.

oooooo

"Hagrid over Snape, any day! Kissing Snape... just the thought repulses me. The grease on that mans hair, yep, definitely Hagrid," Hermione concluded, receiving a nod from Blaise and a shudder from Draco.

"Mine would be McGonagall, Trewlawney scares the shit out of me," Draco decided as Fay Dunbar skipped into the room.

"Mione! Hey, fifteen minutes to go, come on," Fay informed her, as Hermione began to grab her things.

"Oh, hey," she greeted shyly, looking at Draco and Blaise who were clearly insulted that their amusement for the night was being stolen from them.

Blaise nodded his greeting, while Draco held out his hand. "Hey, I'm sorry; I don't know who you are?" he stated a small smile on his lips.

"That's Fay, she's been my best friend since first year. Fay, as you probably know, this is Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, they're in Slytherin," Hermione explained, stuffing the last of her books into her bag.

"Ready to go?" Fay nodded her approval, smiling at the Slytherins before turning to leave.

Grabbing Hermione's arm softly, Draco stared deep into her eyes.

"Where are you going?" he asked softly.

"Astronomy class, it's like... I dunno... Our thing I guess," Hermione grinned.

"You'll be here tomorrow won't you?" Draco pried, his face transforming into that of a puppy begging for attention. "Please," he added, making circles on the arm he still held with his thumb.

"Sure," Hermione replied, hugging him, before quickly hugging Blaise. "See you tomorrow," she waved, leaving the two to their own devices.

oooooo

"This weekend. Friday and Saturday night, Room of Requirement, sleepover is needed. I have so much to tell you!" Fay excitedly exclaimed, jumping slightly on the spot as they walked back to their common rooms after an hour of Astronomy.

Laughing, Hermione snaked her arm around the other girl's shoulders. "Of course, I missed our sleepovers."

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you for the holidays, with mum having the baby and all we were beyond busy," Fay reasoned. Hermione smiled knowingly.

"It's fine, I have stuff to tell you as well. Family stuff, and I also... have a secret admirer," Hermione winked saucily.

"Tell me. Right. Now!" Fay practically screamed.

"Nope, this weekend. You gotta wait," Hermione teased.

"Well, mine's to do with a crush... I want your help," she shyly explained.

"I'll be all ears," Hermione promised, pulling her friend into a tight hug as they reached the common room. "Talk to me tomorrow, yeh?" she added. Nodding as she muttered the password, Fay walked into the room and straight up to her dorm, leaving Hermione in the sitting area. Fishing in her bag for an ice mouse, Hermione pulled out the handkerchief Draco had given her on the train at the start of the year. Putting it to her face, she breathed in and instantly recognised a trace of jasmine, musk, and peppermint. How she had never noticed that glorious smell before was beyond her.

_**love-them-all10- I thought I'd try a cliff hanger for once ;p hope you liked it. **_

_**mermaidlover101- no Amato isn't Draco :') Amato plays a really important part in this story, he's gunna be popping in and out of the story hehe thankyou:') **_

_**JustAGirl101- hahahahahah :') I'm sorry :p**_

_**FlowerAngelxoxo- oh hai ;p Isn't he just! Thankyou babycakes! I thought I'd have it as most of the Slytherin's aren't as bad as people make them out to be... &ohhh, I'll play chicken?;D x**_

_**Brandi moore- I hate Ron as you can see, he's a mega douche. &awrh thankyou :') **_

_**Keanna Black- Thankyou darling! Rather than be the normally over analyistic Hermione, she's gunna be abit clueless when it comes to the letters, her heads filled with worrying about her mum and her new found crush so you know :p once again, thanks :D **_

_**BelleBelles- I am in love with Blaise, so I'm portraying him as I'd imagine him : p **_

_**Geselle Dominguez- AWRH! Thankyou do much :') that review made my day hehe x**_

_**lilPinkBlackBunny531- wow, your review was awesome. Hehe awrh thankyou! You did the opposite of bore me, trust me! Thanks sooo much, sorry about the long wait **_

_**Emswarek17- haha awrh thanks :')x**_

_**ashley4948- hehe thankyou, glad you like it :3**_

_**sad reader- I'm sorry it took so long, as it said on my profile I've just moved to the opposite side of the country without much notice, so I haven't had internet yet... I've done everything I could to try and get it up but I had no luck **_

_**perfect pen- you're a cutie! Thankyou so much!**_

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_**kallee blackthorn- well I hope you liked the letter in this one, I'm having it work out so she gets either a letter or note a day **_

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_**Oh, and thanks to my AMAZINGLY WONDERFULLY EPIC favouriters and subscribers! I love you :p **_


	10. Meeting

"Ah you came. I see you're not a coward, unlike your friend." The menacing voice echoed through the cold damp forest, the sound of footsteps approaching the hidden figure being the only other sound to be heard for miles.  
>"You said that you would be alone..." a weak boys voice replied.<br>"Never mind him boy, he is simply my means of protection" they hissed, watching as he eyed the other now visible figure, before offering their hand to the minor, who had gradually begun to back away. "Now, I think that we have some important issues to discuss, don't you?" they asked sweetly, the menace still clear in their voice, a smile worthy of the devil illuminated by the bright moon light.  
>"I'm not so sure..." the cowardly boy started, but was quickly cut off.<br>"NONSENSE!" The voice boomed. "The Dark Lord will never accept such childish behaviour! You either give me the information I need, or I'll kill you myself and find someone more capable!" they threatened, eyes full of hatred boring into his, informing him of how true to their words they would be.  
>"No! No! I'll do it... and once it's done I get the Dark Mark?" he questioned with scepticism.<br>Gripping his arm in theirs, the other person let out a loud sigh of frustration. "Yes for Merlin's sake".  
>"Okay, so what is it that you want to know?" He quizzed.<br>"Tell me everything you know about Hermione Granger."


	11. Shopping!

_**First I would like to say; I spend almost every second of my life working on this story, trying to make it as good as I can for my readers. That was my first short chapter, so why are people acting so ungrateful? It had to be on its own; otherwise it lost its effectiveness. I obviously thought of all these factors, so please before you criticise the length, think about what you're putting. I was also meant to put up chapter 11 with it, but like a fool I forgot.  
>I still haven't got internet at my new house, so I apologise for the wait between updates. <strong>_

Hermione smiled when she saw Neville sat next to her seat when she walked into the potions classroom.  
>"Hey Neville" Hermione greeted warmly, as she began to prepare for the lesson.<br>"Oh hi Mione" Neville replied, equally as happy. "How're you today?"  
>"I'm great! How about you? Get your homework out Neville" she giggled as she laid hers on the table.<br>Cheeks ablaze, Neville chuckled nervously as he pulled his essay from his bag.  
>"I forgot about that... but I'm good. Did Dean tell you about Harry trying to come to Ron's rescue yesterday while you were asleep?" he asked. As Hermione raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin spread across Neville's chubby features. "He basically demanded that he wake you up, but Dean wouldn't allow it. I've never seen him look so scary before. Seamus said he's only seen him like that once before, when Lucius Malfoy threatened his mother because she's muggle... anyway, Harry just sort of grunted and walked away, it was awesome" Neville winked. Hermione let out a girly chuckled as Professor Slughorn walked into the room.<p>

"Good morning everyone, today we will be learning about Amortentia! Now, would anyone like to begin with telling me what Amortentia is and what its properties are?" before the Professor even had a chance to finish, Hermione's arm had bolted into the air, an expression of utter determination on her face. "Of course Miss Granger, would you care to explain?" he urged, knowing the class would be smothered by the accurate information within seconds.  
>"Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world. It causes a powerful infatuation or obsession in the drinker. It can be spotted quite easily, as it has a distinctive mother of pearl sheen, and steam rises from it in characteristic spirals.<br>The aroma is different for everyone who smells it, reminding them of the things they find most attractive, even if the person themselves didn't acknowledge their fondness for the object of their affection. For example I smell..." Hermione explained as she stepped towards the cauldron at the front of the room. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. "Freshly cut grass... New parchment... toothpaste and a mixture of..." taking another deep breath, Hermione smiled shyly. "Jasmine, musk and peppermint" she finished, looking up at the beaming professor.  
>"Excellent Miss Granger! Would you care to explain its effects for us?" he pressed on.<br>"The effects are instantaneous, making the person appear pale and sickly. They will become obsessed with the object of their affections, speaking of them as though 'hit by a ray of purest sunshine'. They will become excited or dangerously unstable towards others" Hermione finished, taking a seat back next to Neville.

oooooo

"The lioness just described you" Blaise muttered, staring ahead as Hermione finished her explanation.  
>"What?" Draco asked, drawing his attention away from her.<br>Turning his gaze towards his friend momentarily, Blaise growled low enough so that only Draco could hear it. "I said- the lioness just described you. Well, she described your aftershave" Blaise explained, lip curled up in a sly smirk. "If I'm thinking right, which I know I am seeing as I'm never wrong, Miss Granger's got a little crush" he whispered.  
>At this statement Draco's eyebrows hit his hairline. Ripping the corner from his parchment, he wrote a note to Hermione and tapped it with his wand.<br>"You're ill tonight, I'm studying with her alone" Draco commanded. Blaise laughed softly.  
>"Whatever you say your highness" he mocked.<p>

oooooo

'_Don't reply to this Princess. Blaise doesn't feel well, so it's just me and you studying tonight, hope that's okay.  
>You just described my favourite smell, cute x'<em>

oooooo

"You have peacocks in your gardens?" Hermione exclaimed, staring at the platinum boy in disbelief. They were both huddled close together on the window seat in the library as the rain outside had caused the castles temperatures to drop drastically. They were both wrapped in their thickest cloaks, which didn't seem to be making much difference.  
>"Fathers idea, nasty creatures, they always used to bite me. When I got my wand, they were the first things I used it on" he giggled, wiggling his eyebrows playfully at her.<br>"You're so mean!" Hermione laughed, punching him jokingly in his shoulder. "I used to have a pet hedgehog in my garden" she informed him.  
>"A hedgehog?"<br>"Yeh, I used to roll him around the garden, I'd put on my dad's welding gloves so it couldn't hurt me. It was so small and playful, I'd love something like that again" she sighed, looking at her hands.  
>"What happened to it?" Draco asked.<br>"My neighbour's dog ate it. Died when it tried to throw it up, it always was stupid" she recalled.  
>Draco shrivelled up his nose and let out a noise of disgust.<br>"So have you started looking for a costume yet?" Hermione questioned, looking happily at him. She was so excited for the ball, she'd never been to a fancy dress party before, and so she planned on giving it her all.  
>"No... I have no idea where to look" Draco shrugged. He was just excited, but more at the idea of having Hermione as his date.<br>"Well Professor McGonagall has set it so on the fifth everyone can go into Hogsmeade and get outfits. One second" Hermione muttered, standing from the seat and walking over to the book shelves.

Going straight for the Muggle studies section, she began to search the 'C' section. Tapping her finger over each book, she came to a stop when she read the title '_Cleopatra- The Great Pharaoh of Egypt. _Opening it, she found almost every other page to be filled with pictures, including images of Mark Anthony. Smiling to herself, she skipped back to the seat, leaning into him with the book. Opening to a section devoted to Mark Anthony, she put it between them.  
>"This," she said, pointing to the muscular man, "is Mark Anthony. This book is filled with pictures of him; just take it into one of the shops in Hogsmeade. That's what I and Ginny are doing. We're having ours made as soon as she decides what she wants to go as..." Hermione moaned.<br>Unfortunately, Draco was paying very little attention to the book or what Hermione had to say, as he was too busy trying to figure out her scent. Leaning closer to her, he caught the aroma of Cherry and cinnamon and... What was the other smell? He racked his head, trying to figure out what it was, when she bent forward to grab her bag, sending the contents rolling across the floor.  
>"Shit." She muttered, getting down on her knees she began to collect it all up, Draco quickly by her side helping. Picking up a lip gloss, he saw that it was cherry flavoured. He picked up her diary, a hair brush, a union jack purse, and vanilla and cinnamon scented perfume. <em>Vanilla! <em>He practically screamed in his head, _she smells like vanilla... _  
>"Sorry about that" she quickly apologised, once everything was back in her bag. "The top looks like the bottom and the bottom looks like the top... I need a new bag" she huffed, throwing herself back onto the seat. Laughing, Draco re-seated himself.<br>"Buy one then?"  
>"Unlike you Mr Malfoy, some of us are not rolling in spare money. Plus I'm trying to save up for Christmas, I hardly get any money as it is so a bag is the last thing on my mind at the moment" She explained, grinning at him.<br>"I've got an idea" He beamed, grabbing her arm and pulling her upright, stuffing the Cleopatra book into his bag, and retrieving Hermione's satchel from the floor.  
>"What are you doing?" Hermione questioned, as he began to drag her towards the door.<br>"I, Miss Granger, am going to get you a bag!" He boasted, pulling her in the direction of the D.A.D.A room.  
>"Umm, Malfoy where are we going..." Hermione asked nervously.<br>"Back to second names now are we? I'm not going to kill you don't worry. Like I said, I'm going to get you a bag." He explained.  
>"Okay, Draco. Where are you possibly going to get me a bag from? And didn't you just hear me when I said I have no money to buy one with?"<br>"Which is why I said I am going to get you the bag, there's a secret passageway near the dark arts room, leads you to Honeydukes cellar. How do you not know about that?" he questioned, looking at the seemingly nervous girl walking timidly behind him.  
>"No I didn't... You can't buy me a bag! Plus, all of the shops in Hogsmeade will be closed now" she replied, hoping he would give up.<br>"We're not shopping there. I'll apparate us to London" Draco stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
>"I can't apparate! Not to mention, I can't break this amount of rules!" she hissed, looking around to make sure no one was around to witness this absurd act.<br>"Hermione, it isn't even past curfew yet for prefects, so technically we're only breaking one rule... Just trust me please? Live a little and stop worrying about the consequences, rules are there to be broken. Life's to boring otherwise" he answered, coming to a stop at the one eyed witch statue. Tapping the witches hump with his wand, he muttered 'Dissendium'.  
>Hermione watched as the statue moved aside, revealing a dark and cold passage.<br>"Draco... I don't know about this" she muttered, the dark was definitely not doing anything to sway her fears. Feeling a hand grip hers, Hermione let out a shaky breath, as Draco rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand.  
>"You've fought a troll, been petrified trying to work out what that basilisk was, and fought with Death Eaters without dying, need I go on? You don't need to be afraid, I don't think there's much out there that could get the upper hand on you" Draco whispered into her ear as the portrait closed behind them. Jumping slightly at the sudden inability to see, Hermione gripped Draco's hand with a deathly strength. "Lumos" he spoke clearly, pointing his wand out in front of them.<br>"Yano... I really hate your dad" Hermione said, looking up at Draco for his reaction.  
>"Feelings mutual princess, but what makes you tell me now?" Draco questioned, meeting her eye.<br>"Because the last time we sneaked out, Sirius was killed by your father. Harry pretends it doesn't bother him anymore, but I know it does... I just can't help but wonder what it would be like if he was still here" Hermione sadly told him.  
>"I know Potter would never understand this if I told him, so I hope you will. I hate my father's actions Hermione, if I could swap my life for everyone's that he's destroyed then I'd do it in the blink of an eye. He's cruel and heartless; I mean he beat my mother for years when he apparently 'loved' her. He's a sick and twisted man, and I'm sure if you were to cut open his chest you wouldn't find anything beating in there" Draco answered, looking away from Hermione.<br>"I never knew you thought like that..." Hermione murmured.  
>"Not many people know about my large dislike towards him" he laughed. "You and Blaise are the only ones" winking he came to a holt at the end of the tunnel, putting out the light on his wand. "We can apparate from here" He informed her, putting an arm around her waist. "Have you ever apparated before?" He asked her, looking down at her petite form.<br>"Side along once... I don't like it" she blushed.  
>"Hold on tight and you'll be fine, okay, clear your mind" Draco instructed. Hermione closed her eyes as her insides were tugged violently and her head began to spin.<p>

Knowing her feet were now safely on the floor, she began to sway from side to side. She really did prefer floo to this.  
>"Hermione, are you okay?" Draco whispered. The look on her face told him otherwise. Letting out a low chuckle, he removed his hand from her. "Come on" He said once her eyes were open again.<br>"Kay" She huffed, regaining her breath, the idea of having to do it again to get back knocked her sick.  
>"So, where do you want to go?" Draco asked, smiling down at her, dimples on show once again. Hermione smiled at the site.<br>"Well I've never really been shopping in London, I'm not very girly so I tend to just send my mum shopping for me" Hermione told him, face returning back to its flustered state.  
>"Oh so I get to pick?" Draco beamed, dragging her in the direction of a French boutique with a name so complicated even Hermione couldn't pronounce it.<br>They had apparated in front of a small bakery in the centre of the large shopping centre. It was a cold and windy night, so not many people were out. The large street lights lit up the fronts of many shops, all preparing to close for the night. Hermione smiled at an old couple sat on a bench, the man's arm was draped across the woman's shoulder, sheltering her from the cold as he watched her read.  
>"Cute aren't they?" Draco asked, looking towards the couple, a happy glint in his eye.<br>"Hmm" Hermione cooed. Turning her head as they walked into the shop, she admired the pattern engraved into the door. As the door opened, a small bell sounded, alerting the shop keeper that they had a customer. A short woman with long blonde hair, and large breasts came bouncing out of the staff room. She looked to be around 25 and grinned when she caught site of Draco.  
>"Ahh Mr Malfoy, always a pleasure to see you. How may I be helping you today?" she asked in a seductive tone, pushing her breasts out towards him. Draco shook his head and smiled at Hermione, snaking an arm around her waist.<br>"I'm looking for a bag for my _very _close friend" He replied. The assistant looked put out, lowering her chest before pointing over to the far corner of the shop.  
>"Over there." She answered bitterly, turning around with a huff.<br>"It's disgusting that I'm 16 and she's been trying it on with me since I was 13. Quite the pervert if you ask me" he laughed, as he walked towards the bags.  
>Immediately one caught Hermione's eye. It was a large satchel with a union jack printing on it, matching her purse. Before she had a chance to pick it up, Draco had it in his hand.<br>"This one. It matches your purse, it's big, and it's extremely elegant" He began, looking at the label he beamed up at her, "And it's got an undetectable extension charm in it, you'll have all the room you need".  
>Hermione took the bag from his hand, looking over it all. It was perfect, that is until she looked at the price tag.<br>"No way!" she shouted, putting it back on the shelf.  
>"What's wrong with it?" Draco asked confused, he had been sure she would have liked it.<br>"Don't get me wrong, I want it, more than anything. But at that price, no way" she finished, crossing her arms across her chest.  
>"It's not me paying, it's my father, hence why I buy ridiculous things I don't need" he grinned.<br>"Draco, if he finds out you bought it for me, he'll kill you!" Hermione whispered, fear spreading across her face. She didn't want his father to beat him to death... but she really did want this bag... Mentally stabbing herself for having such cruel thoughts, she looked at the bag on the side.  
>"Like I care? I'm buying it, so you can either have it or pick another one. I'm still getting this one though" He teased, winking at her as he walked towards the counter. "Excuse me?" he said trying to gain the shop assistants attention, who was clearly ignoring him. "Fine, I shall tell my mother to stop shopping here" he shouted angrily, turning away and beginning in the direction of the door.<br>"No! No! I'm sorry Mr Malfoy, I was just checking over something, I apologise sincerely" she stuttered, realising she was driving away the shops best customer.  
>"Charge it to my Mother's bill thankyou" He bitterly replied, taking the now packaged bag and leaving the shop, Hermione in tow.<p>

"What. A. Cow" Draco snapped.  
>"Don't worry, not many people like me so I'm used to that sort of behaviour, it could have been a hell of a lot worse trust me" Hermione laughed, wrapping her arms around her body as the cold weather hit her.<br>"People like you Hermione, their just afraid of saying the wrong thing in front of you. Come on; let's get back to the castle. Here" He said, handing her the package, "I hope you like it. I remembered seeing your purse and they match" he smiled.  
>"I love it, thankyou so much!" Hermione exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him into a tight embrace. Draco breathed deeply as his nose rested against her hair, arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders.<br>Hermione inhaled the comforting scent of jasmine musk and peppermint. It had a safe sense about it, making her not want to let go.  
>The two stayed that way for five minutes, before realising they had to get back to school, apparating to the passageway and running hand in hand through the dark and dreary tunnel.<p>

Once back in the school, Hermione hugged Draco goodbye as she had to go in the other direction.  
>"Thankyou again Draco, I love it" she smiled, as she turned and ran.<br>Draco stood watching her retreating form. At this moment in time, nothing could bring him down, not even walking round the corner straight into Filch.

oooooo

Draco strolled through the Slytherin door forty five minutes later. Filch was not one to believe that he was just taking a leisurely stroll around the corridors because he couldn't sleep. Eventually he had tired of interrogating him and let him go back to his dorm. Whistling a happy tune to himself, he turned his attention to foreign sounds coming from the sitting area.  
>Lay on the couch was Daphne, an extremely turned on Theodore lay on top, slowly undressing her.<br>"For fucks sake, take it to one of your rooms, or the toilet at least! It's not even ten yet, there are still minors around" Draco blurted out, disgusted by the ongoing scene rolling out before his eyes.  
>Theo winked at his friend, while Daphne squealed and rolled him from the top of her.<br>"Sorry Draco..." she muttered, turning a bright crimson.  
>"Pushed me right on my boner Daph, if it's snapped your paying for a new one" Theo growled from the floor, where he was rubbing his damaged genitals and glaring at his girlfriend. "Draco, you little dick, I could have been cock in if you hadn't of interrupted" he hissed, staring up at Draco.<br>"Have some respect, if your gunna shag someone, do it in a bed, or somewhere you're not going to get caught! Makes it look like your desperate, not in love with your girlfriend" Draco spat, walking off towards his room.  
>"Draco has a point Teddy. I love you, but all this getting caught business is starting to grate at my last nerve. It's supposed to be 'making love' not just crude sex" Daphne murmured, kissing him on the head. "I'm going to bed, night" turning, she left him to his thoughts, which was never a good thing with Theodore Nott.<p>

oooooo

"Where the hell did you get that bag from? That's amazing! And a real l'amour des plus purs du soleil! Seriously Hermione, I want I want I want!" Ginny yelled the next morning when she caught site of it as Hermione began to pile her day's things into the newly purchased bag.  
>"Just a friend" Hermione answered simply. It wasn't a lie; Draco was her friend, right? He had to be if he was buying her a bag like this...<br>"Which friend, I happen to know everyone of your friends who are wizards" Ginny smiled bitterly.  
>"That's not relevant" Hermione shrugged, putting the bag back onto her bed as she dried and styled her hair.<br>"When they paid 15,000 galleons for a bag, yeh, it's relevant!" Ginny cried, she wasn't going to be lied to, and she was definitely not going to stop until she found out how much this bag cost.  
>"Right, whatever, Draco bought it me. We went to London last night, it's no big deal Gin" she muttered, as she struggled with a knot.<br>Snatching the brush from her, Ginny began to brush the tangled mane, a look of utter bewilderment on her face. "NO BIG DEAL? Draco fucking Malfoy pays 15,000 galleons for a bag for you, and you expect me to think of that as no big deal? You've lost your marbles Mione. AND WHY THE HELL IS DRACO MALFOY BUYING YOU A BAG?" Ginny squealed. Hermione covered her ears with her hands quickly; banshee calls were not part of her morning ritual.  
>"He offered because my bag is basically crap. I thought he meant just a normal bag; we snuck to Honeydukes and he apparated us... Then we go into some really expensive looking shop and the assistant was all over him, so he told her he was buying a bag for me. He picked this because he knew it matched my purse, I never asked he just offered..." Hermione explained, flinching as Ginny tugged the brush through her hair.<br>"You study together a few times and he buys you a fucking thousand galleon bag. Introduce me please" she joked, finally finishing taming her long wavy hair. "I'm straightening your hair, you're going to look presentable to match your new bag" Ginny winked through the mirror.  
>"Oh so I don't look presentable as it is!" Hermione laughed.<br>"Hmm, you're naturally pretty, but it wouldn't hurt to dress it up every now and again. What are your plans for this weekend?" Ginny quizzed.  
>"Sleepover with Fay, she has something to tell me apparently. Plus I've not really seen her for a few months so it should be fun. What about you?" she smiled, watching Ginny move her wand over Hermione's hair, muttering as she went.<br>"Oh cool. Nothing, probably finish my homework, sit in the common room, go and watch Blaise... speaking of Blaise, did you talk to him?"  
>"He asked me in class the other day if I shared a room with you, so I said yeh and asked why, he just sort of changed the subject. You should speak to him, or come and study with us one night. The Slytherin's are nowhere near as bad as people seem to think." Hermione explained, watching as a small smile played across Ginny's lips.<br>"Did you get anymore letters? I never really asked after the whole under the table scene." She giggled.  
>"Yeh, there all on my table, read them whenever. Whoever it is is amazingly cute." Hermione began, as Omorfos flew through the open window, snapping at Amarto as she did. "Omorfos!" Hermione yelled at the jealous bird. "What is it with you two and being jealous..." she muttered, as she got up and rubbed Amarto's bleeding wing. Snatching the letter from the owl, she fed her a treat before shooing her out of the window.<br>"They make me laugh so much. You're like an animal attracter" Ginny chuckled, clutching her side. "Sit here and read while I finish your bloody hair".  
>Sitting in the seat as Ginny continued to brush and experiment, Hermione pealed back the envelope seal.<p>

'_Morning Hermy, _

_I hope you're okay and your weeks been good. I managed to find some chocolate, much to the disappointment of my dorm friend. _

_I was listening to some teachers talk last night, apparently their going to do something special outside for the Halloween party, but its suppose to be a surprise. They were discussing having a large dance floor charmed to keep everyone warm floating above the Black Lake. The floor will be clear so that it looks like your dancing on the water. I'm fascinated to see how they work it out. Dancing under the stars and moon sounds amazing though, it works out on an almost full moon, so it should look truly beautiful.  
>I can't wait to see you; hopefully I'll get to dance with you. <em>

_It's almost your birthday Hermione!  
>You best be excited. <em>

_I had a dream about you the other day, it's all I thought about for the entire day. _

_I was feeding Omorfos yesterday morning, and she obviously decided she didn't like what food I had, so she bit me! She's getting a bit crafty, it makes me laugh. She weed on my roommate in his sleep the other night, I nearly passed out from lack of oxygen!_

_Anyway, I guess I should get ready.  
>Enjoy your day.<br>X'_

"Awrh!" Ginny squealed when Hermione had finished reading. She had obviously been reading it over her shoulder. "I like the idea for the dance, the Black Lake is really pretty. Finished" she smiled, looking over Hermione's appearance.  
>"Thanks Gin, I'm gunna go get something to eat so I can run to the library, see you tonight!" Hermione replied, taking her bag from her bed and exiting the room.<p>

oooooo

"Meet me at one in the Room of Requirement, we can go down to the kitchens and get some food. Plus, I CANNOT WAIT TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR SECRET ADMIRER!" Fay squealed when Hermione met her outside of the Great Hall the next day.  
>"Fay! Keep your voice down please. But okay, I need to get my stuff anyway" Hermione replied, hugging her friend before walking into the hall.<p>

"Mione, over here!" Dean shouted when he saw her walking into the hall. Smiling when she noticed him, she brought herself to sit between him and Seamus.  
>"Hey Dean, hey Seamus" she grinned, piling her plate full of food.<br>"You 'aven't been in here fo' a while 'ermione! Was starting ta wonder if ye'd gotten allergic ta food!" Seamus joked, nudging her in the shoulder. Hermione giggled.  
>"I've been busy, but thanks for the concern Sea" she teased, taking a mouthful of food.<br>"What you doing this today then Mione?" Dean asked, biting into a piece of toast.  
>"Sleepover with Fay, staying in the Room of Requirement, what about you guys?"<br>"Gate crashing" Dean and Seamus winked together.  
>"They mean, do you mind if we come along for a bit?" Neville corrected, shaking his head at the two boys.<br>"Yeh uhh... that" Dean beamed. Hermione smiled widely at him. He was a very attractive boy, who had a sense of humour yet was very affectionate towards those he cared for. Up until fourth year, Hermione had had a crush on the tall boy, but when he had never shown any sign of returning the feelings she had given up. She had come to terms with the fact that he was more like a brother figure, he protected her, made her laugh and cheered her up, but when she thought logically he was more of the type of person she'd prefer to keep as one of her closest friends.  
>"Sure, but we need to do stuff first, so come after dinner?"<br>Both Dean and Seamus fist punched the air.  
>"Aye, I've go' some fire whiskey in me trunk, maybe it'll make a special appearance" Seamus teased, gaining a large grin from Dean.<br>"Fuck yeh!"

After twenty minutes of laughter filled conversation, Hermione stood up.  
>"Where you off Mi?" Dean asked, standing up with her.<br>"I need to go and get my things from my room then I need to get a book from the library."  
>"I'll come with" he replied, patting Seamus on the back and nodding at Neville.<p>

oooooo

"Where too first me lady?" Dean asked when they'd excited the Great Hall doors. Hermione chuckled at his question.  
>"The library".<br>"Your wish is my command!" he exclaimed, bending down in front of Hermione. "Hop on" he winked. He and Hermione had been close since first year, and when Dean had had his growth spurt, he had always taken to piggy backing Hermione to her destinations. Even now they were almost seventeen; he still was obviously content in continuing with it. Jumping onto his back, she wrapped her legs around his middle section and draped her arms onto his shoulders. Taking hold of her thighs, Dean stood up to his full height, before taking off on a sprint.

Hermione's joy filled laughter could be heard throughout the castle, as Dean bucked and jumped around.  
>"D... ea...n!" Hermione squealed. "Li...b...rar...y!" she chuckled, pointing in the direction he needed to head in.<br>"sorry ma'am, never been to the library before!" he laughed, changing his direction.

Stopping in front of the door, Dean dropped to his knee's allowing Hermione to jump off.  
>Hermione mockingly bowed as he stood back upright.<br>"I'll wait here" he smiled, but Hermione was having none of it.  
>"It's a library, it isn't gunna bite you!" she exclaimed, taking hold of his hand and dragging him in.<br>Dean was a complicated boy. For years, he could tell that Hermione liked him, but he had never felt anything other than friendship towards her. Then when they had reached fourth year, his feelings towards her had began to bubble into something more, as soon as Hermione's feelings towards him had stopped. Neville had constantly told him to confront it, but he knew that if she no longer felt anything for him that she would become distant from him. And Merlin be damned, if he couldn't have her as his girl, he'd have the next best thing, she would be his best friend. And for Dean, that was the case. He didn't really talk to many other girls, Ginny was just a fling, an attempt to forget about Hermione, but that had never worked so he had constantly started arguments. Sometimes he spoke to Lavender and the Patil, but none of them compared to Hermione. None of them could understand his sarcasm, his jokes, his emotions or how he ticked. Hermione had that down to a tee. So too have her as his best friend? That was good enough for him.  
>"Dean?"<br>"Uhu?" Dean replied, snapping out of his thoughts.  
>"I said I'm done we can go to the common room now" she smiled.<br>"All aboard!" He shouted, causing the librarian to yell at him. "Fun sponge" Dean yelled once Hermione was on his back and they were running from the room.  
>"yo...u...'re... gunna g...et m...e in s...s...o muc...ch trouble!" Hermione guffawed, earning a chuckle from Dean.<br>"Sorry babycakes, s'just how a roll!" Dean joked, as he trotted up the moving staircase.  
>Hermione gripped tightly to his shoulders as it began to move.<br>"Oh fucking typical!" Dean huffed at the stairs. "Looks like we're going the long way round!" he bellowed, sprinting from the stairs, jumping the slight gap. Hermione yelped as she was suddenly forced into motion.

The long way round, turned out to be very long. The pair got lost in a secluded corridor at the far end of the castle, then went up the wrong staircase which led them to a dead end, then got stuck on the moving stair which tended to give up half way across. By the time they had reached the common room, they were both in stitches, with Dean crawling along the floor, Hermione sat on his back.  
>"Your destination madam" Dean giggled, flopping down outside of the fat lady, Hermione landing flat across him.<br>"I can't breathe Dean! I think I'm just gunna stay here and sleep" Hermione replied, closing her eyes.  
>"Is your stuff ready?"<br>"Um, yeh it's in my bag on my bed" Hermione lazily replied.  
>Dean began to sit up; Hermione now lay across his knee. "Well hello Miss Fat Lady! Fine day we are having aye?" Dean winked at the portrait who laughed.<br>"Yes Dean, what can I do for you." The Fat Lady asked, smiling kindly at the boisterous teenager in front of her.  
>"Could you please get Miss Ginny Weasley to bring Hermione's bag outside please, because I'm your favourite student?" Dean asked, fluttering his eyes playfully.<br>Laughing the Fat Lady nodded her head. "I'll see what I can do" she answered, before disappearing.  
>"God, I'm one charming son of a bitch" Dean boasted, flopping back down on the ground.<p>

The Fat Lady had indeed gotten Ginny to bring Hermione's bag out, who had almost passed out from lack of air when she'd saw the pair sprawled on the floor. After reminding her to expect guests after dinner, Hermione had hugged both of her friends and made her way to the Room of Requirement, where she now sat.  
>Pulling out the letters she had placed neatly into her bag, she handed them over to Fay, who was lain on a bean bag on the floor. Hermione was on a seemingly gigantic bed, which looked as if it could fit the whole of Gryffindor in.<br>"Are these all of them?" Fay asked, looking at the moderately sized pile. Nodding, Hermione lay forward onto her stomach.  
>"I have no idea who it is though; they seem like my kind of person though so I'm desperate to find out" Hermione muttered, picking up a chocolate muffin and biting into it.<br>Fay's attention was far from Hermione's muttering, as her eyes scanned over each note.  
>"Hermione... these are amazing. Like seriously! What I wouldn't do to be in your position" Fay giggled, handing them back. "I didn't know what you wanted from the kitchens, so Dobby just gave me a bit of everything" She smiled, watching as Hermione devoured the muffin.<br>"Don't get me wrong, I love the admiration, but I really want to know who it is! She whined again, hoping this time she'd heard.  
>"In time Hermione, patience" she winked. "So, yeh my little thing" Fay began.<br>"Oh yeh! Explain".  
>"Well basically, I think I'm like in love or something? I just can't stop thinking about him, always wondering if he's okay, what he's doing, whether he's thinking about me or does he even know I exist! It's really beginning to mess with my head Herm's" Fay groaned.<br>"I might be of some help, if you tell me who it is?" Hermione excitedly asked.  
>Fay began to rub her hands together, feet twitching about underneath her. "Hmm, well... it's sort of... I think I'm in love with... Basically. HARRY POTTER!" she yelled, covering her face with her hands.<br>Hermione practically leapt from the bed and onto her friend, giggling as she did. "Fay that's so cute! Do you want me to say anything? I mean, Harry's so easy going, all you've gotta do is walk up to him and start talking. Well, you both know each other anyway, so it's not like that's going to be a problem. OH and in the holidays he asked why you weren't staying with me, so I said you needed to be at home, he seemed a bit disappointed... and this is just so great!" Hermione chuckled, hugging Fay.  
>"He really asked about me?"<br>"Yeh, and I know Harry like the back of my hand, he was a bit put out when I said you wouldn't be with us, and Harry doesn't get easily bothered, I think this could work. Just speak to him a bit more."  
>"But I just thought that erm, maybe he and Ginny were an item?" Fay asked, chuckling nervously.<br>"Oh Merlin no. It's like when I explained how everyone thinks me and Ron are made for each other, when really we couldn't be any more different, that's Harry and Ginny. We're all just close" she smiled. "Dean, Seamus and Neville are coming here after dinner, Seamus has fire whiskey. Tonight shall be fun" Hermione winked.

oooooo

"It's about time! We've been sat here for ages" Fay moaned when Neville, Dean and Seamus finally walked around the corridor.  
>"I went back fo' me fire whiskey" Seamus winked, pulling the large bottle from his robe pocket. "Strong stuff this be, few swigs gets me and Dean on ar' arses" at this, Dean turned around and wiggled his bum, making Hermione and Fay laugh.<br>"Oh shut up and come on, I really want to see how quick I can get on my arse" Hermione teased, closing her eyes and thinking about their previous room. When the door appeared, the five of them quickly rushed inside.  
>Fay stood by the door, eyes closed shut as she thought of what she'd like the room to do. Within a few seconds, it was a dark room, illuminated by the moon through a large wall size window at the back of the room, and muggle dance music Hermione had introduced her too began to play.<br>Straight away, the bottle was open and everyone was chugging away, dancing manically together.  
>Hermione and Fay were the first noticeable drunks, Fay holding onto Neville's back and grinding against him, whilst Hermione was using Dean to hold herself up, grinding her back up against his front. Seamus was next, dancing alone in the centre of the room. Every few minutes he would fall to the floor, pulling himself up muttering about how people needed to stop bumping into him while he did his 'moves'. Neville and Dean were the best at holding their alcohol, holding both girls up while they laughed and danced.<br>"D...eann. You're my best friend you know? I wuv you" Hermione muttered into Deans ear. She had turned around and now had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, legs dangling in the air. Dean let out a loud chuckle, resting his head against hers.  
>"You to Herms, love you too" he whispered back, earning a small chuckle from her lips. "and yah know what? We're definitely the best dancers here" he laughed.<br>Suddenly, Hermione's face snapped up, lips mere inches from Deans, as she began to lean closer and closer.  
>"Dean..." she whispered, her cold breath tickling Dean's lips.<br>"Yes?" He whispered back, eyes half closed from the proximity of their lips.  
>"I know what we should do..."<br>"What Hermione? Anything" He replied.  
>"SPIN THE BOTTLE!" she yelled, a wide grin spreading across her face.<br>Dean couldn't help but smile at the intoxicated girl's enthusiasm, he knew she was over him, so he couldn't expect anything more, yet a part of him still wished.  
>"Sure Herm's" he smiled, kissing the tip of her nose.<p>

"Seeing as I'm the only sober person left, I'll spin. It lands on you, and then you either chose a truth or a dare. Simple enough?" he asked, earning three eager nods and a snore from Neville.  
>Spinning an empty bottle he found on the floor, everyone waited patiently, as it came to a stop at Seamus.<br>"Dare!" Seamus yelled, thrusting the empty bottle of fire whiskey into the air.  
>"GET YOUR ARSE OUT!" Fay yelled, chuckling at her own dare.<br>"Fuck yeh" Seamus cried, struggling to stand on his own two feet, he dropped his pants and tuck his bum straight out, receiving a playful slap from Hermione. "Now now little minx, don't mark me, am only sensitive" he joked, pulling his pants up and sitting back down with a thud, a proud grin on his face.  
>"Your arse is hairy as mate, proud to say I'm hair free. You have the arse worthy of a gorilla, and for that dear boy- I SALUTE YOU!" Dean yelled, saluting Seamus with a smirk on his face, Seamus' grin growing even prouder.<br>The bottle was spun three more times, landing twice on Fay, and once more on Seamus. Fay choosing both truths, admitting she'd rather have Seamus then Neville, and that she did masturbate. Seamus choosing a truth decided that he wouldn't be able to choose between Fay or Hermione, so he'd bang them both.  
>"Oh! Hermione it's you!" Fay squealed when the bottle stopped at a new destination. "Pick pick pick pick!"<br>"Dare" Hermione boasted, winking at Fay. Dean was the first to speak.  
>"Kiss me." Dean said, smiling. "You're allowed to kiss anyone, I mean we're nearly seventeen, and it's only a game, so kiss me."<br>Being one to always follow the rules, and being heavily under the influence, Hermione crawled forward, placing her hands gently onto Dean's shoulder and pushed him back into a lying position. "As you wish" Hermione purred, leaning over his body, lips inches from his.  
>Deans hands sneakily made their way to Hermione's bum, making her giggle, as she made the final move and connected their lips.<p>

Finally, ten minutes later, both participants came up for breath, Hermione smiling proudly before making her way back to her place in the circle.  
>"My next dare is ta' kiss yah' las" Seamus laughed, looking over at the happy Dean. "Spin it mate" He demanded.<br>Retrieving the bottle from where Hermione had kicked it, Dean spun it with slight pressure, giving its spinning only a few seconds to stop. The moment it stopped on Dean, he decided on a dare, smiling mischievously at Hermione.  
>"KISS HER AGAIN!" Fay shouted and of course Dean did as he was instructed. Pouncing onto Hermione, she let out a girlish giggle as he winked at her.<br>"We meet again" he teased, before connecting his lips with hers, allowing her to take the lead, he gently followed her lips. As Hermione opened her mouth, he let his tongue in to dance with hers, alighting a moan from her.  
>Once more, this lasted ten minutes, by the end of which both Seamus and Fay had dragged Neville onto the bed and joined him, all lay across one another fast asleep.<br>"Sleep or carry on, your choice" Dean asked Hermione, who was still lay under him.  
>"SLEEP!" She exclaimed, a sweet smile on her face.<br>"Sure thing ma'am" Dean happily replied, picking her up and laying her by Fay.  
>"I love my best friend, he's so good to me" Hermione sleepily said, kissing Deans cheek.<br>"I love mine too" Dean replied, as she closed her eyes to sleep.

oooooo

Waking the next morning, Hermione found her head to be resting in the crook of Dean's neck, arms wrapped around Fay, Seamus lay under her back and legs resting over Neville's face. How they had all got so tangled up, and how she was going to get out without waking them was beyond her. Plus, her head was banging, and she had no idea what happened after the dancing.  
>"Hermione, I think I'm dead" Fay groaned from beside her.<br>"Me too, I can't feel my brain, and I have no idea what happened last night. And I think Neville just threw up on my leg!" she squealed, hanging her legs in the air.  
>"I think I might throw up" Fay moaned, rolling onto her side.<br>"o' my lord. What tha bloody 'el 'appened last night? A feel like I was 'it in the 'ed by a truck" Seamus huffed from underneath Hermione, rolling out from under her and over Neville, who did nothing but snore.  
>"I'm going back to sleep" Hermione grumbled, Fay and Seamus agreeing with her.<br>"Shut up" Dean growled, wrapping his arms around Hermione and pulling her closer. Obviously he wasn't a morning person. Hermione stared confusedly at Fay at the intimacy Dean was adding between them.

"FOOD TIME" Seamus shouted, putting a hand to his head at the intensity his own voice had on his head.  
>"Urgh, did you have to shout" Hermione growled as she lay on the floor.<br>"None of you can handle your alcohol, just saying..." Dean teased. He was sat on the bed eating from the basket of food Fay had brought up the day before.  
>"Fuck you" Fay and Seamus growled.<br>Neville was still incapacitated in a ball on the bed, snoring every so often to show he was still alive.

oooooo

"You okay Mione?" Ginny asked as she walked into the room, looking pale and sickly.  
>"Um, yeh. Hungover" Hermione replied, massaging her temples softly.<br>Winking at her friend, Ginny smiled brightly "Tell everything."

_**Thanks once more to my favouriters/alerters! You make my day, I love getting emails saying I have new alerters/favouriters :')  
>PLEASEPLEASEPLASE REVIEW! Your ideas and thoughts really help me, and I like to know what my readers think. <strong>_

_**FlowerAngelxoxo- Lasagne? You'se have gone insane Bessie. I was jealous writing it, so don't worry ;p Thank-you sweetie!x**_

_**Nirja- Awrh thank-you, I'm glad you liked it :3 Hope you liked these chapters x**_

_**Perfect pen- Hope you liked the Dean part! Glad you like it x**_

_**Mermaidlover101- Thank-you so much!:3 Yano what I say? Punch him right in the face, he obviously doesn't see what he's missing imo! I'm glad it did!:')x**_

_**Purplemoon02- So would I! Glad you like it. **_

_**McKenzie Shea- I'm glad you like it! I should hopefully be able to update weekly soon now my internet is being sorted out x**_

_**Kallee blackthorn- hehe glad you liked the letter, took me awhile to think of what to put... thank-you!**_

_**Love-them-all10- glad you like it **_

_**greatEXpectionz- I will ;p **_

_**Seiya-Serena-fan18- Thankyou so much!**_

_**Purplemoon02- It's short, but it had to be! Ahh, I like your thinking ;D **_

_**Mermaidlover101- I know! I'll try :-}**_

_**FlowerAngelxoxo- You'll find out if you keep reading ;) thanks hunnyyyyy pie!x**_

_**Indigo flower 94- keeps you on your toes I guess! Hehe thankyou, I will. **_

_**greatEXpectationz- yes, that's it. It's better than nothing. **_

_**AndreinaMalfoy- mwahahahaha**_


	12. birthday!

_**Hullo der! My God it's been a while hasn't it? No one could understand how hard I've been trying to update, but when you haven't got an internet supply its pretttty impossible... I even struggled writing this chapter as I couldn't reread my last chapter to get the information correct, and when you have as much spare time as I did then it sucks, big time. THEN TO MAKE MATTER'S WORSE- MY LAPTOP BROKE. Grr, apart from getting a job this has not been my month...  
>Seeing as I didn't speak to any of you before, HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! This extended chapter is of course, my present to you all ;)<br>I've added another story which is the result of my over active imagination, so please if you have the time, read and tell me what you think?:-)  
>Okay, so enough of my rambling, but OH one more thing! I've been in need of a good read, and being a diehard Dramione fan, could anyone message me with some good story names you would recommend? Or if you've wrote your own then message me and tell me to read! I'd be soooo grateful<br>ON TO ZEEE STORY!**_

"McGonagall has been called away on important matters, so we're going to tell you what she wanted you to know and leave you to plan. Afterwards your ideas will be merged with the seventh year prefect's ideas to plan out the party. That's pretty much how it will work every week.  
>Include any idea you come up with, no matter how silly or over the top it may sound, they could work really well along with someone else's idea" Eddie explained, smiling at the group of sixth year prefects around him before taking a seat on a spare chair.<br>"Okay, if you want to take note on what I tell you then I suggest you do, It'll make things a hell of a lot easier" laughed Katie who sat on the edge of the main desk. Once everyone had taken out a quill and piece of parchment, she continued. "Now some of this is simply a recap, but other parts you won't have heard of yet so are important to get down.  
>Firstly, you're all aware that it is going to be held on Friday 1st of November in the Great Hall from eight pm until midnight for fourth years and below, and one am for fifth years and above. You, as prefects, will be required to help ensure that the night goes smoothly, but the seventh years will play more of a role, meaning you can enjoy yourselves and just stop trouble if you happen to see it. Professors will be stationed around the room to help out at any point.<br>Butter beer is the only alcoholic beverage available, for the fifth years and above. Fifth and sixth year are limited to a maximum of three drinks, while seventh years are allowed free access.  
>The grounds will be open, but invisible wards will make it so you can only go into certain parts. One main detail that needs to be planned is how the grounds and hall will look. The tables will of course be removed from the hall, but other than that no other decisions have been made. Professor Dumbledore has specified that he wants something interesting on the grounds which will give students somewhere to go in privacy, Merlin knows why though... This is my favourite part; the Black Lake will serve as an outdoor dance floor. It will be charmed to have a floor so that it gives you the illusion that you are dancing on the water. A heating charm will also be cast so that the night temperatures aren't a problem. The Professor's would like a band for inside and outside, which we have the privilege of picking.<br>Madam Pomfrey will be on call throughout the entire night, but all safety precautions are in place so I don't see anything going wrong.  
>The main entrance is to be lightly decorated, to match the Great Hall and Grounds.<br>That leaves these things to be planned; the food and drinks that are available, the rules and the music. If you come up with anything else that you feel is important then you can include that with your plans.  
>The Hogsmeade weekend for costume shopping is to be announced in all common rooms once a definite date has been decided. Now, that's everything we know so any questions will have to wait for Professor McGonagall unfortunately. You're all allowed until ten pm to discuss ideas, but may leave once you feel you have given your all. Goodnight" Katie smiled, walking out of the room, followed by a waving Eddie.<br>"So... do we just write down everything we can think off?" Neville asked, turning a Gryffindor red when all eyes turned to him.  
>"I guess. We could discuss things as well?" Hermione added, looking over the notes she had just taken. "I think for the theme it should be old fashioned, dimmed lights and diamond chandeliers, seeing as though it's based on historic couples..."<br>"I agree." Draco added, resting his elbows on the table, his chin in one of his hands as he eyed Hermione happily. He would agree with anything she had to say seeing as in his eyes she had the best taste of anyone in this room, but he did find that idea to be slightly intriguing.  
>"Yeh, I like the chandelier idea... there shiny" Luna announced dreamily, staring off into the corner of the room.<br>Shaking his head at his partner, Blaise decided to add to the conversation. "I'd go with that. I think it'd be awesome if they could make the Great Hall's roof clear so you could see the actual sky rather than some shitty imitation stars" he shrugged.  
>Hermione began to quickly jot down their ideas.<br>"Maybe we could have... some erm... flower gardens outside... with big trees..." Tracy whispered to Hermione, an angel like expression on her face.  
>"Okay?" Blaise blurted, eyebrows raised. An eruption of laughter echoed around the seemingly silent room, Tracy and Luna staring off unaware.<br>"Okay so food wise..."

oooooo

Fay approached Luna with a cheery smile on her face and a spring in her step. It had been almost three weeks since she had told Hermione about her crush on Harry and things were coming along perfectly.  
>"Hey Luna!" she beamed, hugging her blonde friend tightly.<br>"Oh, hello Fay" Luna replied in her free flowing tone. "How're you today?"  
>"Great thanks, what about you?"<br>"I'm good... I was just about to go and look for pixies by the lake, would you care to join me?" she asked, tilting her head to the side slightly, a graceful upturning of her lips luring Fay to say yes. As much as she enjoyed being alone with her thoughts, she would more than gladly have a friend follow her around, even if they thought her to be slightly mad.  
>"Sure, I need to ask you something anyway" Fay shrugged, as the two girls began their walk outside, the sun setting above their heads giving off a purple sheen.<br>"Marvellous isn't it" Luna cooed, their eyes trained on the slowly disappearing source of light.  
>"Um" she muttered. "So, tomorrow's Hermione's birthday" she stated, looking over at Luna.<br>"Ah yes... I was going to get her a necklace to defend her from the Nargel's but Neville suggested I just put money towards a hat and scarf set she liked..." Luna said with no hint of hurt or disappointment in her tone. She found that protection against Nargel's would be much handier, but Neville was sometimes better at the whole idea of exchanging gifts then her... Maybe she'd give it to her for Christmas.  
>"That's sweet. Draco, Blaise and Daphne asked me to put to for a necklace, anyway I wanted you to do something for me" Fay smiled softly.<br>"I shall certainly try my hardest."  
>"Well, the Gryffindor's are having a party for her, but only the Gryffindor's are invited, and obviously they wouldn't like Slytherin's in their common room... But I thought that you could ask the Slytherin's to join us by the lake at ten, that way everyone gets to see her" she suggested, watching as Luna stared blankly out across the lake.<br>"That sounds lovely, I shall go once I've drawn a few more pixies" Luna grinned, waving as Fay turned and skipped away.

oooooo

"Looney Lovegood's walking over to us... and she looks awfully happy" Blaise groaned, attempting to dodge out of her eyesight in the student packed corridor. He and Draco were currently on their way to dinner, and Blaise did not let anyone get in the way of his appetite, especially daydreaming Ravenclaw's.  
>"Shut-up" Draco hissed, when Luna stopped right in front of them.<br>"Hello I'm Luna" she smiled, holding her hand out to Draco.  
>Taking her hand in his, Draco shook it as he smiled back, "Hi Luna, I'm Draco, this is Blaise" he replied, nodding in Blaise's direction, who grunted.<br>"You should have your friend taken to the hospital wing, I think his voice box has been cursed, that noise was quite worrying..." she said, concern etched into her features. "I think you're aware that tomorrow is Hermione's birthday?"  
>Both boys nodded.<br>"Fay plans on having a small party at ten tomorrow night, out by the Black Lake, for the Slytherin's and me. It would be nice if you could tell any other Slytherin's she speaks to, but don't mention it to Hermione" she whispered the last part, bending forward and looking around with squinted eyes. Furrowing her brows, she walked away muttering about how some odd creature would be out at that time and Blaise's 'pig' voice would attract them.  
>"I'll tell Daph" Draco muttered once they were walking again.<br>"Odd one she is, pigs voice? Seriously!" Blaise sneered, shaking his head at the girl. "I know one thing though; I have an appetite of a pig now. I'm bloody starving" he moaned.  
>"Fat shit" Draco mumbled Blaise stopping dead in his tracks at his friends comment.<br>"You did not just call me fat!" he screeched, either uncaring or not unknowing that they were stood at the entrance to the Great Hall. Every student had now turned to watch one of Blaise Zabini's over dramatic tantrums, sniggering at the show.  
>"Fucking girl" Draco laughed, walking away from his temperamental best-friend who was now screaming and begging for him to apologise. His overly proud ego was way to easily hurt.<p>

oooooo

Lately, Hermione had found herself spending more and more time with the Slytherin's, much to Ronald's disappointment. For the past three weeks she had continued her study sessions with Blaise and Draco, occasionally joined by Fay or Daphne. Her studies had been going exceptionally well, with her gaining full marks on every piece of work she completed, while staying on top of her prefect duties, homework and attending all prefect meetings. Time was always made for her fellow Gryffindor's, even Ron. She would spend hours sitting with them each night discussing the day's events, falling asleep on Harry's lap on endless occasions and wrote to her father twice a day. The worst part of the otherwise joyful time, was the discussion she had had with Dean...

"_So... How are you Hermione?" Dean asked, turning a crimson red as he sat next to her in the Library.  
>"I'm positively dying from heart failure at seeing Dean Thomas in the library! Otherwise, I'm great" she smiled brightly, toying softly with his hair as she had done for years.<br>Dean closed his eyes and smiled at her usual actions, hoping maybe there was more to them then he expected. "Well, I wanted to speak to you about something... Its kinda important to me" he half stammered, half shouted.  
>"Anything Dean" she had replied, removing her hand and watching him carefully. Dean, as everyone knew, was always calm and collected, so this was an unusual site for her.<br>"Well the night in the room of requirement. I knew you were really drunk, but we played truth or dare, which you remember, the bit you don't seem to remember is being dared to kiss me, twice, and doing it on both occasions... And I brought it up because Hermione, I think I love you. Not just as a friend but as something so much more. I can't take my mind off of you! It's like you're this part of me, and I just can't control my feelings anymore. I had to tell you... But I completely understand if you don't feel the same. I mean I ignored your feelings for four years, so I have no right to demand anything. But I never like lying to you so I just had to tell you. I always want you as my friend, I want nothing to change between us, and I simply don't know what I'd do without you..." he murmured, looking down to where Hermione's hand rubbed soothing circles on his knee.  
>"Dean, I'm so sorry, I really didn't know that happened. I used to like you in that way, but I was young and now I couldn't imagine you as more then my best friend. You're always there for me like the brother I never had. I'm sorry if it seemed I led you on, but it truly wasn't my intention. I hope you'll forgive me" she had answered, hoping to ease the situation. She couldn't say she regretted kissing him, because he was beyond good looking, but she currently already had feelings for two people that she couldn't just throw away. If he had of sprung this on her at any other time then well, maybe that would have been a different story...<br>"No need to apologise Herm's, I'm just glad I got it off of my chest. I would never hold anything against you, you know that. Just know that I'm always here for you, I love my best friend" and with that said, he had stood, kissed her forehead and left. _

So, suffice to say, she found it slightly odd to be around Dean at the moment, but hid it to keep him happy. He was, after all, one of her best friends- so to spare him from being hurt was good enough for her.  
>Over the course of three weeks, she had received twelve full length letters and 21 notes from her secret admirer, some containing sweets which she had never even heard of before yet hadn't disliked any so far.<br>Putting it simply, she had had a typical month for Hermione Granger.  
>Jam packed, and slightly confusing.<p>

Hermione lay lifelessly on her bed, watching the moon and stars through the open window in a desperate attempt to sleep. Ginny moaned in her sleep, and tossed occasionally, while Amato laid, like Hermione, lifelessly between their two beds- the only difference being that he was soundly sleeping. Glaring unhappily at the two for being able to sleep so easily, while she struggled to even drift off, she returned her direction of sight towards the window.  
>"I'm such a child" Hermione groaned, bringing her arms up to cover her face.<br>She had been in bed for well over two hours now, had counted approximately 2463 sheep and had even taken a muggle sleeping remedy. Nothing, however, seemed to be working.  
>No matter how old she got, Hermione could never sleep the night before either her birthday or Christmas.<br>She was turning seventeen.  
>She would finally be legal to do magic out of school, and apparate (not that she planned to mind you, but the idea still thrilled her).<br>A large grin spread across her face, excitement coursing through her veins at the idea of finally being able to rely on her magic away from Hogwarts.  
>Grumbling unhappily, she climbed out of her bed, pulled on her dad's hoody and walked to the window. Sitting on the soft window seat, she pulled the windows too and watched the grounds. Nothing seemed to move, giving of the illusion that time had stopped, which knowing Hermione's luck it had.<br>Maybe tomorrow her mum would finally write to her, maybe she'd wake up to a lengthy letter telling her how she was sorry and loved her more than anything... with that thought, Hermione drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

oooooo

Gentle, yet continuous shoves to Hermione's side pulled her from her 'nap' on the window seat. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes and looked around for the cause of her rude awakening.  
>Amato sat by her seat, a single red rose held between his beak, looking happily up at her. Cooing softly, he dropped the flower onto her lap and nuzzled her face affectionately.<br>"Thank-you Amato!" she grinned, smelling the beautiful flower. "I love you boy" she whispered, stroking his smooth feathers.  
>Squawking his love for her into her ear, he proudly left his girl to get ready for the day.<p>

After preparing herself for what she thought would be a typical school day, she added a bit of makeup and straightened her hair. Hermione made her way back to her dorm with a smile on her face, she was seventeen.  
>"Happy birthday!" Ginny screeched at her when she opened the door. Laughing, she embraced her pyjama clad friend tightly. "You look bloody gorgeous Mione! Okay, open my present, I want it to be the first one you see" Ginny beamed, handing over a baby blue wrapped gift.<br>Eagerly tearing into the gift, she smirked at how well her friend knew her.  
>Ginny had bought her a gold and red hardback notebook, with intriguing patterns carved into the cover.<br>"It's charmed to never run out of pages, I thought of you when I saw it. You're always complaining about running out of pages" she informed her, boasting about her idea.  
>"It's amazing Gin! I love it, thankyou so much" Hermione squealed, enveloping Ginny in her arms, accidentally smacking the book off of her head in the process. "Sorry..." she mumbled, turning a bright red.<br>"It's all good. There's a letter for you on your bed by the way."  
>Skipping to her bed, Hermione pushed her new notebook into her bag and picked up the now familiar envelope.<p>

'_Happy birthday beautiful!  
>Seventeen finally aye? I myself believe today to be a most fantastic day, for it is the day that you were brought into this world, and what could be better than that?<br>I'm so not jealous that you can use magic outside of Hogwarts legally now... okay maybe a little... or a lot. Either way, you're beyond lucky!  
>I hope you have an amazing day and get everything you desire, you definitely deserve it.<br>I wanted to get you something useful that you would enjoy but also be able to use a lot, so I put a lot of thought into deciding what you might like. I know you're going to be unimpressed that I bought you something, but I just had to.  
>I'm going to have it delivered along with the rest of the post at breakfast, just to get you wondering- cunning I know.<br>Enjoy your day, don't let anyone ruin it for you, I look forward to seeing your angelic face this morning, and there better be a smile on it!  
>All of my love,<br>X'_

Hermione giggled as she put it back into its envelope. Whoever it was, they were certainly a charmer.  
>"Gin?"<br>"Hmm?" she replied, brushing her long red hair away from her face.  
>"I think I'm in love with a stranger. Is that odd?" Hermione asked, twiddling the rose between her fingers. Running her fingers up and down the stem, she wondered why it had no thorns...<br>"It would be odd if they weren't a complete and utter sweet heart. I think I love him and he's not even sending me the letters!" Ginny laughed, picking up her things for the bathroom and leaving the room.  
>Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she decided she would wait in the Common Room and get some early morning reading done.<p>

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Harry and Ron shouted when they saw her descending the stairs.  
>They had got up earlier then they had ever thought possible just so that they could be in the Common Room before her, bearing gifts for their best friend.<br>"This is from us both, the Weasley's and the Order members" Harry winked, handing her a small box after she had hugged them both.  
>As much as she despised Ron at the moment, he was still her best friend and it was her birthday so she was willing to drop her anger towards him for the day.<br>Smiling, she took the box and pulled the pink ribbon from it, undoing the bow slowly. Inside was a thick gold bracelet, filled with different charms. The main ones which caught her eye were a large fluffy cat, an open book and a wand. The charms were mostly silver with gold detail, a single diamond on each charm.  
>Hermione gasped at its beauty, she had never been much of a jewellery loving girl, but this was definitely one of the very few things she would actually wear.<br>"This is... it's just so... guys its beautiful! Thankyou so much, I love it!" she squealed, pecking each of their cheeks.  
>"I'm glad you like it, me and Harry picked it and Ginny approved that you would like it. Each charm is off a different person. I picked the frog, cause yano, I like chocolate frogs a hell of a lot" Ron grinned, finding the correct charm which now hung from Hermione's wrist.<br>"I tried to convince him to pick something else but he was insistent... I chose the lightning bolt" he winked again, pulling back his hair to show off his scar.  
>Hermione chuckled at the two boys. She now had a permanent reminder of them on her wrist, which she loved.<br>"Well I think there amazing, you're both the best friends ever, have I ever told you that?"  
>"I don't think you have..." Harry teased, throwing an arm over her shoulder.<br>"I'm starving, Ginny needs to hurry up" Ron groaned.  
>"Shut up you fat shit" Ginny mumbled as she joined the three stood in front of the fireplace.<br>"Aye!" Ron shouted, looking down at his semi-toned stomach. "I'm well fed, not fat."  
>All four of them laughed while they walked towards the Great Hall, stomach's rumbling unhappily.<p>

oooooo

Hermione received several gifts from her Gryffindor friends when she sat eating her breakfast that morning. From Neville and Luna, she got a hat and scarf set she had wanted since her third year. From Dean and Seamus, she got a slightly erotic statue of Cleopatra, but loved it all the same. Her bag was now full with sweets of all kinds; mentally she was thanking Draco for the extension charm each time she added a present. From Fay, Blaise, Daphne and Draco she got a silver and gold chain with an old fashioned styled key on it, a silver snake coiled around the gold key. Reminding herself to give each of her Slytherin pals a hug later, she clipped the necklace around her neck.  
>"Erm Fay... The clasp has disappeared?" she muttered, feeling about the now secured necklace.<br>"Yeh, Draco's idea, it's so it can't get broken. When you want to take it off you tap the key three times with your wand, but only you can get it off" she smiled, continuing with her breakfast.  
>Hermione beamed at the idea, when owls began to fly through the open windows.<br>A large pile of cards were dropped onto her forgotten toast and it seemed as if every member of the Order had written an individual one for her.  
>Next, three packages were placed onto the table, a rectangular box from Omorfos, and two large boxes from her father's owl.<br>Opening the ones from her father first, she chuckled at the large frosted cakes with the words 'happy birthday baby' iced onto the top. He had obviously made it himself, like her mother usually did for her. Dipping her finger into the frosting, she licked the creamy substance from her finger. Her father definitely knows how to cook. Repackaging it, she cast a protection charm on the box to stop it from being tossed around and slipped it into her bag.  
>"No fair, I wanted some" Ron groaned, looking longingly into Hermione's bag after the cake.<br>"Tough, daddy made it just for me" she teased, picking up the next box.  
>Untying the gold ribbon from the outside, she ripped off the accompanying red wrapping paper. He had bought her the entire hardback Shakespeare collection, a photo album and a wizard camera.<br>Hermione squealed, pulling out the books first and checking they were all there. Next she traced the patterns on the photo album with her finger, before picking up the camera.  
>"Smile!" she joked, snapping a picture of Harry, Ron, Ginny, Dean, Seamus, Neville and Fay who all pulled funny faces.<br>"Lav, take a picture for us" Ron said, everyone crowding around Hermione, pulling disturbingly funny faces as Lavender took the picture.  
>Pulling out the note from the bottom of the box, she read the messy small writing.<br>_  
>'Hermy.<br>I can't believe you're seventeen! I remember it like it was yesterday that I was swinging you in my arms as a toddler. God I miss those days, when all you wanted was your mum and dad.  
>I'm getting emotional over here. A sodding old man getting upset over his baby girl growing up! I may have to take you to Neverland so you stop getting older, soon you'll be moving out! Oh why did I have to put that thought into my head...<br>I had a good talk to Arthur Weasley about what I could get you. I remembered you saying you liked Wizarding cameras, so he helped me pick out the best one. He said to process the photos you just tap it and say 'processo'. I think that means process, but I'm not too sure.  
>I got the album from Barney's photo shop, he gave it me at a discount because it's for you, and he also wrote you a card which I sent with some other stupid owl, along with cards from other family and friends. I added some of your favourite photos into the first few pages.<br>The Shakespeare collection is from Granny, she insisted that you finally had the whole hardback collection, she said something about 'not giving her girl a sh***y paperback collection'. She's wrote a letter and sent a card, and Dumbledore is arranging for you to go and visit her.  
>Enjoy your day darling, hope you liked the presents, oh and the cake. I was up 'til four this morning making that! But it was worth it for you poppet.<br>Owl me tonight if you're not too busy.  
>All of my love for my darling birthday girl,<br>Daddy x'_

Even though no mention of her mother had been given, Hermione was beyond happy, and smiled at her father's love. Never could she ask for a better person to be in her life, without him she didn't know what she would do.  
>Pushing her presents and the stack of cards into her bag, she turned to Omorfos.<br>"Hello" she cooed, feeding her a piece of toast. With a flap of her wings, she flew off out of the window.  
>A single piece of silver ribbon held the box closed. Sliding her finger gently under it, she pulled open the lid and gasped.<br>A large golden Phoenix feather sat shining up at her. Towards the tip, her name was engraved into the delicate looking quill. Moving her finger over her name, she admired the elegant script that it was engraved with.  
>Replacing the lid, she added that to the collection in her bag.<br>"Oh aye, someone bloody likes you! Phoenix quills aren't half expensive" Seamus teased, nudging her with his elbow.  
>Hermione giggled at his observation, those types of quill were as expensive as they got. She had always wanted one due to the durability of them, but couldn't afford it. Now at least she could chew her quill without worrying about damaging it... "Just a friend."<br>"No added benefits?" he grinned.  
>"No Seamus" she laughed, slapping him around the side of his head playfully, following them all to first lesson.<p>

oooooo

Hermione found that lessons seemed to fly by quickly today. She was in an extremely good mood; even Snape's deduction of points because she smiled didn't bother her like it should have.  
>Skipping towards the Great Hall for dinner, she was pulled around a corner by bear like hands, which were surprisingly familiar.<br>"All aboard birthday girl!" Dean grinned, kneeling in front of her.  
>"Dean, I'm going to dinner" she began, but he interrupted her quickly.<br>"Oh no sweets, we have something planned, now on!" he instructed.  
>Laughing at his persistency, she climbed onto his back and found herself laughing hysterically as he ran boisterously through the corridors.<br>Whispering the password to the Fat Lady, who wished Hermione a happy birthday, he carried her into a pitch black common room.  
>"Dean, the lights are off..." she started, as they flickered on and her friends jumped up.<br>"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They all yelled. The common room had been cleared of most furniture, and music now played in the background. A long table at the back of the room held a vast collection of food and drinks, with chairs scattered around it.  
>"This was Fay's idea, brilliant it is" Harry smiled, Fay turning a beet red.<br>Harry had been acknowledging her a lot more lately, and every time he did she couldn't help but blush, her heart fluttering maniacally in her chest. The boy who lived finally paid her some heed, and Merlin's knickers was she happy about it.  
>"This is amazing! Thankyou so much!" she smiled, mentally hugging her best friend.<br>"Go get changed Mi, we'll all wait here for you" Dean told her, setting her down carefully on her feet.  
>Hermione rushed off to her bedroom and put on a loose, yet short red and gold dress she had bought on a shopping trip with Ginny. She had never wore it before and found now to be the perfect opportunity. Slipping her feet into gold flats, she messed up her hair a bit and added a touch more mascara and pink lipstick. Happy with her reflection, she pulled her camera from her bag and skipped down the stairs.<br>After receiving a vast amount of comments on how nice she looked, she danced with Ron, Harry and Ginny for a while, and was then dragged off to dance with Neville, Fay, Dean and Seamus.  
>"Mione, I want a picture with you" Dean grinned, pulling her into his arms. Smiling brightly, she allowed Fay to take the picture. At the site of her camera, everyone insisted on getting a picture with the birthday girl.<br>"Hey Mi, does it have a timer on it?" Harry quizzed while they stood by the food, stuffing their faces.  
>"Yeh" Hermione answered, opening her mouth to put in a sugar mouse.<br>"We should get a picture of everyone together!" Ginny grinned, realising where Harry's train of thought was currently heading.  
>Hermione smirked at the idea, and began to fiddle with her camera. "Get everyone to stand by the wall facing the fireplace" she said, placing her camera above the mantle.<br>Once everyone was in place, she clicked the shutter button and ran to stand between Fay and Harry.  
>"Its set to take two, so smile then pull a face" Hermione winked.<br>Everyone smiled brightly as the camera flashed, then pulled a strange face when it flashed again.

After almost two hours of dancing, Hermione looked up at the time. It quarter to ten and people were slowly disappearing to their dorms due to having lessons the next day.  
>"Come with me" Fay whispered into her ear from behind, making Hermione jump. "But shh, we don't want anyone to see" she giggled, pulling Hermione after her and out of the portrait before she had a chance to object.<br>"Fay, where are we going?" she hissed, the cold air hitting her bare arms and legs, her dress riding up her thighs as she ran.  
>"Wait and see little miss impatient" she scolded, pushing open the main doors.<br>"Fay, its freezing! Where on earth are you taking me?" Hermione moaned hugging her shoulders tightly in an attempt to keep warm.  
>Fay shook her head, continuing to drag the girl towards the Black Lake. Weren't best friends supposed to trust one another?<br>"Wait, are you going to drown me?" she asked sceptically, trying to plant her feet firmly on the floor.  
>"Oh ha ha, I'm really going to drown my best friend aren't I?" she laughed, bringing her to a stop.<br>"Happy birthday!" Four voices shouted, stepping out from behind a tree. Draco, Blaise, Daphne and Luna all embraced her, clad in their outer wear.  
>"Bit cold to not be wearing a robe don't you think birthday girl?" Draco teased, draping his cloak over her goose bump covered shoulders.<br>Hermione smiled shyly, "Thanks, I didn't know I was coming outside..."  
>"Oh well, you look beautiful" he told her, watching his feet which he nervously began to shift.<br>"Thankyou Draco" she grinned, kissing him softly on the cheek. Draco looked up with a large smile on his face.  
>"Hey Hermione, did you like the necklace?" Daphne smirked, eyeing it as it sat between her cleavage. It was slightly longer then she had expected, but pretty none the less.<br>"I love it, thankyou all so much."  
>"Weasley not moan that you're wearing a snake on your neck?" Blaise teased, picking up her hand and eyeing the bracelet she wore.<br>"Either they haven't noticed it, or they just didn't mention it. They're obviously not pervs, looking at my chest" she joked, winking at Blaise as he put on a mock hurt expression.  
>"Me? A pervert? Much the opposite my dear!"<br>The six of them laughed at his playful banter. Spending her birthday with every one of her friends was perfect in Hermione's eyes. The way they smiled so genuinely at her warmed her heart and she knew that everyone she had been with today cared deeply for her and her happiness, as she did them.  
>Draco watched Hermione with wide eyes. The dress she was wearing accentuated her perfect curves, making her look much older than she was. It was revealing, yet not overly revealing, making her look sophisticated rather than slutty. The red and gold made her skin look an intoxicating brown, and the flat gold shoes showed of her short yet graceful legs. She didn't have the biggest boobs out there, but her cleavage was definitely the main point the dress showed off. It dipped with a loose fitting around her chest, showing off the top of her moderately round breasts. Her hair was straight and flowing freely with the wind, hanging down over shoulders and skimming the top of her chest. Her brown eyes were rimmed with long eyelashes, the chocolate brown looking out innocently. Her pink and pouty lips curved upwards into a delicate smile, the happiness reaching her eyes.<br>Looking at her wearing his robe felt perfect to him. She suited Slytherin colours, and he couldn't imagine anyone else looking as good as she did in it. Occasionally, she would pull it closer to her body, rubbing it up against her bare skin. He knew that when she returned it, it would hold her scent. Draco smirked at the idea.  
>"I thought maybe you'se would take some pictures with me? I got a camera for my birthday and I want to fill some of my photo album" she explained, holding up the camera she had yet to let go of since she'd left the common room.<br>"I think that's a brilliant idea" Luna replied dreamily, pulling off her robes to show her slightly strange outfit.  
>"I want one with each of you, then one of us all, it has a timer so I can just levitate it" she told them, pulling Blaise into her side and handing the camera to Fay.<br>They both smiled brightly at the camera, with Blaise towering over the petite Gryffindor.  
>Daphne opted for a different pose, kissing Hermione on the cheek as the photo was taken, capturing Hermione's happiness as she laughed.<br>Next, Hermione stood by Luna, who wrapped an arm over Hermione's shoulder and grinned widely.  
>Draco took hold of Hermione as she stood near him, whispering something into her ear, making her smile. Unknowingly, Fay took a picture, before instructing them to smile. Arm wrapped around her waist, Hermione leant into Draco's body with her head against his chest and smiled in content. Draco also towered over her much like Blaise, but she found their tallness and strength created a safe aura.<br>"Now me!" Fay squealed, thrusting the camera into Draco's hand.  
>Fay, being slightly taller than Hermione, wrapped her arms around her and placed her chin on her shoulder.<br>"Smile ladies" Draco teased, catching their laughter on picture.  
>Smiling as lady like as they could, Draco took the picture and handed Hermione her camera.<br>"I have an idea!" Blaise smirked.  
>"And that would be..." Daphne added.<br>"Daph, get on Luna's shoulders cause you're the smallest of us all. Fay on mine, and Hermione on Draco's, I personally want that picture, so you can take it and make a copy for me" He told them, happy with the idea he had come up with.  
>The girls laughed, and Hermione set up the camera, charming it to levitate in the air.<br>Climbing onto their intended partners shoulders, they laughed as they swayed on the taller ones shoulders. Draco gripped Hermione's thighs softly, the feeling of her lace underwear rubbing at the back of his neck making him smirk.  
>The clicking of the camera signalled that the photo had been taken. The boys and Luna helped the girls to get down carefully.<br>Draco's arm was firmly around Hermione's waist while Blaise's was resting over her shoulders. Fay, Luna and Daphne all kneeled in front of them; everyone smiled as the camera clicked again.  
>"I think I'll make a fire, I have marshmallows" Luna smiled dreamily, pulling her wand from her sleeve.<p>

Sitting around the fire, the six pupils delved into conversation, roasting marshmallows on the end of sticks they had found.  
>"I wish you had of stabbed Weasel, made my day when he screamed!" Blaise chortled, blowing heavily on his marshmallow as it set on fire.<br>"I can't even remember what it was over. But I don't think I would have actually hurt him..."  
>"You cursed him in the middle of your charms class and got away with it. I'm pretty sure that hurt" Draco laughed, chewing on his brown coloured sweet.<br>"I found it all to be quite fascinating" Luna smiled, winking at Hermione.  
>"Aye, stop attempting to get my best friend expelled!" Fay hissed, pushing her hand into the bag of mallows.<br>"I think Dumbledore would have been glad to get rid of such a pig, he eats way too much" Daphne shivered.  
>"This is my best friend you're all talking about" Hermione giggled, swallowing the remainder of her sweet.<br>"So, what did everyone get you Mione?" Draco asked, quickly changing the subject before she got unhappy.  
>"I'll show you all" she smiled. Pulling her wand from being tucked somewhere in her dress, she accio'd her bag. She took out all of her presents, including the cake.<br>"I want some of that" Blaise stated, opening the box the cake was in. Greedily, everyone began to scoop cake out with their fingers, the marshmallows forgotten about.  
>Hermione got Luna to take a picture of them eating it prove to her dad that she enjoyed it, their faces coated in the frosting.<br>"Merlin, this is bloody amazing. Where did you get it from?" Draco asked, taking a big scoop full and shoving it into his mouth.  
>"My dad made it" she replied between mouthfuls. It really was delightful, if it hadn't looked so unprofessional, she would have thought he'd bought it.<br>"The mans a genius" Blaise praised.  
>"So, why don't you show us your presents Hermione?" Luna said, taking a neat scoop of the cake. Blushing, Hermione wiped all evidence of the cake from her face and opened the boxes.<br>"Ron, Harry, the Weasley's and other Wizarding friends all put money to get me this charm bracelet, each charms from a different person" she explained, dangling her arm in front of them for everyone to see. "My dad got me the camera and this photo album. My granny got me the Shakespeare collection, Neville and Luna got me this hat and scarf set I've always wanted, Dean and Seamus got me this statue and everyone else got me sweets" she informed them, pointing out each present as she went along.  
>"What about this one?" Daphne asked, picking up the long rectangular box.<br>Hermione turned a shocking crimson, snatching the box back.  
>"It's a phoenix quill, it's from my erm... well it's from..."<br>"It's from a close friend of hers" Fay finished, smiling at them all.  
>Blaise opened the box, letting out a gasp. Daphne grinned at the feather.<br>"These are frigging expensive! Whoever it's from is an amazing friend I'd say, or he's trying to buy his way into your pants" she teased.  
>"Or they have more money than they know what to do with. No seriously, whoever got it you is one amazing person" Blaise shrugged, passing the box to Luna.<br>"It's quite beautiful. I like the way your name's engraved into it, it makes it special" she admired, handing the box to Draco.  
>"Yep, they're definitely one thoughtful person" he nodded, passing it to Fay.<br>"They are" Hermione grinned.  
>"You so fancy him" Daphne stated. "There's no doubt about it!"<br>Hermione's face flushed at the declaration. Daphne was right, but wouldn't she seem like a fool to admit she fancied a stranger? Stuttering her response, she knew that she was found out. "No... No, it's just... I just... He's really sweet- urgh" she groaned, covering her face with her hands.  
>Unseen by anyone, Draco winked at Blaise who smirked back at him. Daphne knew it was from him as well as Blaise did, but he definitely wouldn't have thought to ask if she liked 'him'.<br>"Ahh, so it is a boy. I was just teasing. Hermione Granger's got a crush!" Daphne teased loudly.  
>"Daph, shut up" Hermione groaned, hiding a chuckle.<br>"She wants his babies! Little Granger babies, awrh!" she joked, squealing when Hermione launched herself onto her, covering her mouth with her hands.  
>"I don't want anyone's baby's I'll have you know, I'm way too young!" she laughed, rolling off of her friend.<br>She wouldn't deny that she liked him, but having his baby's? She didn't even know who it was! Damn Daphne putting that thought into her mind...  
>"I feel I must ask you something" Luna said quietly, eyeing the three Slytherin's curiously.<br>"Shoot" Blaise replied, wondering what she was about to say.  
>"Are you all Death Eaters?" she asked, not caring that she was being forward.<br>Blaise, Draco and Daphne all burst out into hysterics at the question.  
>"Merlin's no! Mine and Draco's family's are, but we're on the light side, Dumbledore knows this. And Merlin forbid if Blaise's mum let him get involved in a war! She's way too protective for that" she chuckled.<br>"Ahh, that's good to know" she smiled, dipping her finger into the cake and licking it.  
>"Our parents don't know that we're not involved, they'd skin us alive. But really, Voldermorts such a hypocrite, why would we want to be servant's to some insane guy who's died Merlin knows how many times" Draco said, eyeing Hermione closely.<br>"Does it not worry any of you that soon we'll be fighting a war against him? I'm bloody friends with Harry Potter, and I get dragged along everywhere, so I'm kind of crapping myself" Hermione sighed. She really wanted to help Harry as much as she could, but Voldermort was the craziest and scariest person she'd ever met. The idea of going into war against him sent chills up her spine.  
>"Well yeh, more then you could imagine. We're going against our families for what we believe to be right, we may even see them die for such a stupid cause... I'll be trying to protect my friends while trying to persuade my sister and Theo to fight with me not against me. Its fucked up if you ask me" Daphne told them. Theo still stood strongly by Voldermorts cause, but refused to tell them that Daphne had betrayed them. She wanted to be with him, not have him killed or locked up in Azkaban for his entire life span. And as for her sister, the girl was way too young to be making these kinds of decisions. She couldn't even decide how to get her hair cut by herself for Merlin's sake!<br>"It's the same with me. My whole family from both sides is part of the Dark, but my friends are part of the Light. I'd stay neutral but I want to make it known that I am not a stereotypical Malfoy."  
>"I have to help Harry with pretty much everything, and I have to... I'll have to erase my parent's memory soon to protect them. It's so complicated. I don't see what his problem is though; Muggle's are nowhere near as bad as he makes out. They're the same as us except they can't do magic. He's just a power crazy idiot. I don't want my friends to die, but in the end that's what it comes down to.<br>It's what McGonagall told me, this is going to be war. Every war has deaths, they're dying for what they believe in, and knowing you died helping your cause is supposedly the best way" she shrugged.  
>For a few minutes, everyone let Hermione's message sink in. It was war, and death was inevitable.<br>"It could... It could be one of us that die's. Or all of us for that matter" Fay mumbled.  
>"I don't care, so long as Harry defeats him, I couldn't care less whether I live or died. I'd be with my mother" Luna smiled, the image of her mother swimming around in her head.<br>"That's so sweet!" Daphne grinned. "I'd be with my Grandmother. She died fighting against Voldermort, she was so brave."  
>"I remember her! She used to always pinch my face when I was little" Draco grimaced, remembering the little old woman that used to fuss over him as if he was her own.<br>"She used to always spank me, odd woman" Blaise admitted, dark features reddening slightly.  
>"Hey! She was getting old okay?" Daphne said. Everyone laughed at her statement.<p>

"It's getting late Mione, we should head back" Fay told Hermione who was currently re-bagging her presents.  
>"I'll get Amato" she grinned, whistling up towards her window.<br>Seconds later, Amato sat before her, leaning his head into her. Scratching behind his ears as he seemed to love so much, she cherished his warmth for a moment.  
>"Holy shit! Where did that thing come from?" Blaise yelped, stepping away from the Griffin.<br>"He doesn't bite Blaise, bloody hell" Hermione laughed. "He's quite sweet really."  
>"We should start walking back anyway. I hope you had a good birthday Mione" Draco whispered, hugging her closely.<br>After her four friends hugged her, she began to take off Draco's robe. "No, keep it until tomorrow, I'll get it back after breakfast" he grinned.  
>"Thanks Draco" she smiled, pecking his cheek.<br>Fay and Hermione watched as they all walked away, before climbing onto Amato's back. Fay uneasily clutched onto Hermione's hips, eyes squeezed tightly shut as she waited for them to take off. Hermione looked over her shoulder at her and chuckled softly. Leaning forward she whispered something into Amato's ear, who took off at a soft pace.  
>"Fay, open your eyes" Hermione told her, patting her hand in reassurance.<br>"Are... are you sure?" Fay whimpered, loosening her hold slightly.  
>"Yes!" Hermione called out in excitement.<br>Slowly, Fay opened an eye and looked out over the surroundings lighted up by the moon light.  
>Hermione had instructed Amato to take them to the field she had become so fond of.<br>"I have somewhere to show you" Hermione beamed at Fay, who stared wide eyed and open mouthed at the scenery.  
>"This is beautiful Mi!"<br>"I know he brought me here when I was upset" she explained when they began to lower.

oooooo

Hermione helped Fay climb from Amato's back, and walked around the small field. Flowers still bloomed, bringing her to the conclusion that they were magical. The smell lingered through the grass, rising as they walked through the long blades.  
>"McGonagall's right yano? People are going to die and there's nothing we can do to stop it. But it's for the greater good isn't it? I mean, if I die knowing that, I don't think it will bother me too much. I'd rather go out like that then it be pointless and for nothing.<br>Like when you got petrified, it happened for a reason, you had figured it out, so it wasn't pointless, you could still help... I want to be like that. I want to go out knowing I did everything I could" Fay smiled, running a hand lazily over each flower as she passed them.  
>"I won't let anything happen to you Fay, I'll be right there with you I promise. I won't let anyone die who isn't supposed to" she explained, hugging her friend tightly. "It's scary the idea of that happening with us being so young, but we're going to do everything we can. You're already helping anyway, you're best friends with a muggle born" she winked.<br>Fay laughed, watching Hermione with admiring eyes. "You're so brave Mione. Erasing your parent's memory to keep them safe, I couldn't do that, I'm too selfish."  
>"In a way I'm brave, but Dumbledore told me sometimes strong erasing cannot be reversed. I wouldn't know what to do if that happened" she admitted. The possibility was very high, she knew that, but if living without her meant that they were safe, she'd do it a thousand times over.<br>"I'm always here" Fay beamed. "I think you should get a picture with Amato, you said your dad's interested in him?"  
>"Oh yeh! Could you take it?" she begged, a twinkle back in her eye.<p>

Hermione stood happily beside Amato, a hand stretched out across his back. His head was leant affectionately against hers as Fay took the photo, his eyes watching Hermione's every movement.  
>"I'll send it now and write him a quick letter" she decided, pulling a roll of parchment out of her bag.<br>Thanking him and her Granny for the presents, she attached a copy of the photo with her and Amato and the one of her and her friends eating the cake.  
>"Your dads going to think we're all fat slobs" Fay giggled, looking at the cake picture. Each of them had cake smeared across their faces and their fingers were either in the cake or in their mouths.<br>"Agreed" she chirped, pushing the package into her bag, "ready to go back?" she asked happily. Nodding in agreement they both climbed back onto Amato and rode back to Gryffindor tower.

oooooo

Fay had left Hermione's room and gone back to her dorm as quietly and quickly as she could when she noticed that Ginny was asleep.  
>Hermione was now proof reading her letter, with the owl ready to take it. Once it was attached to the bird and instructed with where to go, it flew out of the window and disappeared from eye sight.<br>Unable to sleep, she processed the photos from the day and began to slot them into her photo album, looking at the moving pictures with happy eyes.  
><em>Ron, Ginny, Harry, Fay, Dean, Seamus and Neville pulling funny faces at breakfast.<br>Her, Ron, Ginny, Harry, Fay, Dean, Seamus and Neville doing the same again.  
>Photo's the boys had obviously taken jokingly, one looked like it was the inside of Dean's nose...<br>Dean holding her tightly to his side, looking down lovingly at her.  
>Her and Fay grinning.<br>Seamus hugging her tightly with a triumphant look on his face.  
>Neville smiling shyly to the camera with an arm draped over her shoulder.<br>Lavender grinning, head pressed against hers.  
>Parvati and Padma both with an arm around her waist, tongues stuck out.<br>Dancing with Harry and Ron.  
>Dancing with Ginny.<br>Dancing with everyone...  
>Her on Harry's back laughing with him.<br>Pecking Ron's cheek, a cheesy grin plastered on his face showing of his teeth.  
>Ginny smiling happily at Hermione.<br>Several photo's with younger years.  
>Whole of Gryffindor smiling, and then posing.<br>Blaise grinning in front of the lake, arm draped over her shoulder.  
>Daphne kissing her cheek while she laughed.<br>Luna smiling cutely next to her.  
>Draco whispering into her ear while she smiled... <em>She hadn't known this was being taken, but it was by far her favourite.  
><em>Draco smiling brightly, her head against his chest.<br>Fay with her chin on her shoulder laughing.  
>Fay and her smiling.<br>Fay, Daphne and Hermione on Blaise, Luna and Draco's shoulders laughing.  
>Blaise and Draco, arms around her possessively, Fay, Luna and Daphne smiling while they knelt on the floor.<br>Several photos of them eating marshmallows by the fire.  
>Messily eating cake.<br>Her and Amato looking lovingly at one another. _

With a large grin spread across her face, Hermione fell asleep in her position on the floor, photo album full of her photographs, floor scattered full of copies and Draco's cloak wrapped tightly around her body.

**_Review thanks next chapter, I cant access emails atm to do it... _**


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